Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Coyote81 Aug 05, 2015 20:44:49	So I had an idea as I was browsing through spells.  I want to make a cleric that has a familiar.  I want to use that familiar to apply ranged touch spells like cure wounds, inflict wounds, chill touch and other such spells.  So my base idea:   Human Varient Cleric with Ritiual Caster Feat Taking Find Familiar and Detect magic as my starting spells.  Death Domain Cleric for the various benefits, not the spell selelction.   One question though:  Does the Channel Divinity:Touch of Death work on Melee Spell attacks, and would it still work when cast via a familiar?   What do you guys think of this idea?  I'm still working on my background, but I thought this would be a fun and interesting healer build.  Got any idea to make it better without changing the main theme of using the familiar to aplly touch spells?
#2 mellored Aug 05, 2015 20:55:41	death cleric's CD works with melee attack spells, including inflict wounds and vamperic touch (and spiritual weapon). that said, familiars are extremely squishy. your going to need to homebrew something more resilent, replacing another feature or 3. i made a homebrew druid sub-class that could do this in place of wild shape.
#3 Coyote81 Aug 05, 2015 21:19:29	I thought the familiar would be ok.  Basic turn idea would be to move to the target that would be touched and ready a move when a enemy moves adjacent to him(or when the next character after my cleric goes to take an action).  (Using a Owl pet, that does not provoke AOO).  Cast my touch spell.  And if the owl is moved next to by an enemy, it get to react by running away.  AOE affects are still rough, but basically those can be done anyways.  Not much of a chance to run from those.
#4 spanglemaker Aug 06, 2015 1:38:20	I would suggest replacing Detect Magic, with a spell not normally available to Clerics, such as Comprehend Languages or Alarm or Identify.   I have used my Warlock Tome pact Owl familiar to cast Touch spells, such as Cure Wounds. Warlock 5 Bard 1
#5 Coyote81 Aug 06, 2015 3:10:31	Thanks, great idea!  i'm glad my idea isn't bad and actually used by others.
#6 mellored Aug 06, 2015 8:39:59	It's a good tactic to have in your back pocket, i.e. casting cure wounds generally means your familiar is not next to an enemy, a sneaky attack against a lone guard, or flying an owl into a window to assassinate a sleeping target. But it's going to be pretty difficult to make it your main thing in combat, unless your DM plays along or you homebrew.
#7 spanglemaker Aug 06, 2015 12:06:56	Familiars are very useful in combat and other situations . They can help you or others, by distracting the enemy, moving around to describe something or someone. They can even help you focus, so that you can pass a strength or dexterity or another check. You just have to be able to stretch your imagination. I could envision a certain little boy with his chain pact Dolphin Familiar, or other popular familiars such as Lassie or the littlest hobo.    My Warlock 5 Bard 1 'Librarian', has an Archfey Pact, her familiar could be a Lesser Fey, bound into service as a Familiar. It's usual form is of an Owl, but by performing the ritual meditation of Find Familiar, 'Beatrice' has taken on the form of an octopus and a fish at separate times. Beatrice can help my librarian cast 'Dark Magic Attack', 2 Eldritch Blasts at 1d10+4 per blast with Advantage. At one time the human librarian had better dark vision than her familiar courtesy of Devils Sight, which was replaced by Agonising Blast.    Using your familiar to deliver touch healing or attacks is useful, especially at mission critical moments, but generally giving you advantage with your attacks or spells is quite simply pure genius.
#8 Coredump00 Aug 07, 2015 11:54:55	The creature can only "Help" with actions that the creature can actually do itself.
#9 spanglemaker Aug 08, 2015 11:10:40
#10 Catodon Aug 10, 2015 1:29:20	Here's my solution re the helping thing. Who cares about the exact wording imagine the situation in your minds eye, does it make sense. If yes use the rules as a guide. IF you can't do this and get stuck in pedantry about 'character' v. 'creature' and other such nonsense most of which was probably not indended by WOTC's writers THEN you should not bother with a living human being as a DM and go play computer games.