Familiar Questions

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

Krux

Aug 21, 2014 7:39:04

According to the find familiar spell, your familiar acts independantly and obeys commands. The only restriction on the actions it can take is that it can't attack. From the spell description it seems like your familiar can use the help action on it's turn every round to grant someone advantage. Does anyone see anything in either the help action or the find familiar spell to prevent this?

 

Granted your familiar only needs to be hit once to die but even then your familiar is taking damage that may have gone to a party member instead. 

 

Since you only give up a spell known to have the familiar and it will likely either absorb an attack once during a day or grant an ally advantage for 1 attack a round until it does take damage. I see very little opportunity cost for having a familiar and a sizeable benefit from a spell that is likely cast prior to your adventuring day and therefore will not take up a spell slot.

 

 

#2

AaronOfBarbaria

Aug 21, 2014 8:29:49

Yes, that is a very good use for a familiar...

 

Don't forget, however, that it costs 10 gp worth of material components each time that you cast the spell, and you have to cast the spell to get your familiar back after it is reduced to 0 hit points.

#3

Krux

Aug 21, 2014 8:51:16

I forgot about the material component on the spell. That would make losing your familiar on a daily basis costly for low level characters. I'm sure at some point the 10 gold isn't as big a deal. 

 

I've been unable to find any rules regarding if familiars can be targeted if they are "riding" on their masters. However, I think the owl is a great familiar for this tactic. It has 60 feet of flight and avoids opportunity attacks while flying. With that it could probably fly by help and then get to cover making it harder to kill it off. Would a tiny creature have half or three quarters cover if it was hiding behind a medium creature?

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AaronOfBarbaria

Krux wrote:
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NN1

AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
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Hailrobonia

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NN1

Luke-Lightning wrote:
#8

reddaemon

Aug 22, 2014 10:03:21

NN1 wrote:
#9

Napolean_Warlord

Aug 22, 2014 10:32:47

please post an update with any good familar-in-play stories, these examples are hilarious.

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1eejit

reddaemon wrote:
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Hailrobonia

Napolean_Warlord wrote:
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NN1

reddaemon wrote:
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Drizzt_hunter

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