Let's build a homebrew power ranger class.

[wilhelmdubdub]

I want to build a power ranger homebrew, and the basic chassis will be warlock for a few reasons. For flavor, the rangers make a pact with Zordon and he kinda gives them the power. I think the idea of themed invocations would work for customization without making separate pacts. This is my first homebrew so I kinda want to take from other classes to keep it close to what people know. I will use sneak attack, as rangers are stronger together, so having a nearby ranger would lend to more effective blows. Martial arts is a must, so I am looking at monk for ideas too. (Probably a 1/2 or 1/3 progression to be fair)
For the powering up mechanic I think it will be an idea of something like barbarian rage, so you get only so many per day. You have to follow a progression like in the show: first use puts on the ranger suit (Medium armor with some resistances to energy types, not physical damage), then you do it again to summon your zord or your "pact weapon". Then "power up" again to put weapons together or make a mega zord like in the show. I think for summoning a zord the mechanics would be you basically wildshape into a beast that has a template of a construct that is huge or something like that.

The character would have to be lawful good, and only use the power needed in the fight so they would have to follow the progression like on the show. You would only be able to summon a zord if the monster is gargantuan like on the show, so you could summon your pact weapon if you are getting spanked during the melee. If you drop to 0hp you have to start the progression all over and short rest at the command center.

My ideas so far, will work on the character guide as I make decisions. Any ideas? Wisdom based or charisma based?
Possible invocations:
Dragon armor= half plate
re-skin agonizing blast (eldritch blast is the blasters they have on the show in their holster)
re-skin lifedrinker
Stunning fist/flurry of blows?
Uncanny dodge/evasion?
Maybe one to increase retroactively you hit die from D8 to D10, take again for D12?
Need Ideas for teleportation/ability to plane shift to go to Rita's lair on the "celestial plane"

I need help with DnD add-ons that are flavored for what the rangers do on the show.

[DivisibleByZero]

Warlock with lifedrinker, agonizing EB, sneak attack, martial arts, stunning fist, rage, higher HD, teleportation/plane shift, wild shape, etc?

So you basically want to build the most OP Warlock ever.

[wilhelmdubdub]

Warlock with lifedrinker, agonizing EB, sneak attack, martial arts, stunning fist, rage, higher HD, teleportation/plane shift, wild shape, etc?

So you basically want to build the most OP Warlock ever.

For the martial arts and sneak attack die I would water it down so at 3rd you get 1D6 sneak attack, 8th 2D6, 11th 3D6, 15th 4D6. Martial arts: 1st D4, 9th D6, 14th D8. Invocations: 2nd choose 2, 7th 3 total, 16th 4 total. So you don't get all of the OP features, but have a menu to build how you wish much like how the invocations are in a warlock build.

You don't get rage, but like the barbarian rage you only get so many per day, and getting dropped you lose your progression. The closest thing to a zord I can thing of is wild shaping into a construct, but you first have to spend your "Points" to get your power ranger suit on, then try with the pact weapons, then if Rita makes the boss grow, you spend more points to get into your zord, then more to go into mega zord etc. Plane shift can be 20th level ability so you can take Rita on and defeat her. The Rangers teleport around, so maybe they would get Dimension Door at a certain level and Teleport later on. You probably wont get access to the warlock spell list, except for what you would need to do to be like a power ranger, so I am trying to come up with a list of what works for what a power ranger does.

The idea is I am trying to get it as close to the show as possible and follow the system of 5e. How would you put in the mechanics of building a mega zord in DnD? That is what I am needing help on.

[Gastronomie]

I think the easiest way for Megazords is to make them "Conjure~" type spells. Sorta acting like Polymorph.

[Joe the Rat]

I think you're on the right track with Warlock Chassis, or some sort of Warlock/Monk hybrid given the extensive unarmed fighting (and in some seasons/series, that's the primary fighting style). Making most of their stuff short rest gives you a mechanic for why after getting knocked out of form you just need five minutes, wiping some blood off, and a bit of heroic inspiration to get back at it.

Suiting up could be Mage Armor (hence it can be "dispelled"), or it could be an natural or unarmored defense only usable in form. Suiting up may also add fighting styles or techniques or some sort of broad (but not huge) enhancement of prowess.
Invocation-like traits can select you to the specific build out or weird power combos. You could use pact/tradition to set the theme for the season - sneak attack (ninja series), rage mode, mounts, paragliding, spellcasting, sword focus, ribbon twirling, whatever.

A core feature is hammerspace. Bladelocks summon weapons as an action, Warulokgers can summon their whole bonded item kit with an action (which I see as the best way to represent the armor/weapon upgrades - as magic items, not class features).

At some point you need to introduce a gestalt function - pooling efforts into a single attack (combo blaster/bazooka mode), or larger summon ("megazord").

[HeyBJ]

Ye gods, this is complex. Very interesting idea, though.


Suiting up could be Mage Armor (hence it can be "dispelled"), or it could be an natural or unarmored defense only usable in form. Suiting up may also add fighting styles or techniques or some sort of broad (but not huge) enhancement of prowess.

I like this idea. Suiting up would give a boost to AC. As for offensive capabilities, I think the monk's ki-empowered strikes should only be accessible after summoning the suit, and no stunning strikes or flurry of blows. While they're good fighters, the Rangers never really win major battles unarmed (only mooks get taken down that way) so I don't think they should have a viable way to take out major threats with just martial arts.

And since each Ranger typically has different signature weapons, I think that's where the pact weapons should come in. Zords seem more like a wildshape thing to me. And while we're on the subject of signature weapons, I don't think their blasters should be a carbon copy of Eldritch Blast, and certainly not with Agonizing Blast tacked on. That's way too OP unless the blaster is their signature (pact) weapon. That way, they have to choose between being good at melee or ranged via pact weapon instead of being great at both.

[Temperjoke]

What about the background explosions? Are they just illusion, cause if they're not, then they'll be abused.

[Joe the Rat]

I know of one instance where someone weaponized the background explosion.
But taking it to another source (Fawcett's Captain Marvel and Kirby's OMAC), a damaging effect (akin to thunderclap or sword burst) can be a feature of transformation. Might be a good up-level feature.

[wilhelmdubdub]

What about the background explosions? Are they just illusion, cause if they're not, then they'll be abused.

Maybe once per short rest if you fail a save you can dazzle an opponent as a reaction.