D&D 5E Ability checks when controlling familiars

[simonf]

Hi,

I see this discussed on the internet, but can't find official advice. When a PC is seeing through familiar's eyes, do they use their own or their familiar's stats for ability checks like Perception or Investigation? Using their own stats seems to make more sense, as these are mental rather than physical abilities, but it's not clearly stated. And in that case, would advantage from abilities like Keen Sight apply?

Thanks!

 

[DND_Reborn]

Hi,

I see this discussed on the internet, but can't find official advice. When a PC is seeing through familiar's eyes, do they use their own or their familiar's stats for ability checks like Perception or Investigation? Using their own stats seems to make more sense, as these are mental rather than physical abilities, but it's not clearly stated. And in that case, would advantage from abilities like Keen Sight apply?

Thanks!

FWIW, we have always used the PCs ability/skills. However, if the animal has Keen Senses, we apply it.

One of my PCs had an owl familiar for a LONG time. She was a rogue/cleric/wizard MC with expertise in Perception. So, at the end she was Wisdom (Perception) +16 and if the check involved hearing or sight while she sensed through her familiar, she had the advantage for Keen Sight.

 

[aco175]

If my familiar is an dog and I would think that smelling through his nose would be better than mine. Would my senses become overwhelmed by the advances smelling of the dog? Would this be something I would practice so when I needed it I would be ok? Would something I smell be something I recognize and the dog does not? Would the dog be able to help me with some smell that he smelled before and I could not detect, but now I smell it through his nose?

I would think the dog smells grant the advantage on smelling to my senses. Same with other animals like owls and seeing advantage. There could even be times where the animal senses something that comes in handy later, like the dog smelling a scent on someone and then later again with a doppelganger later and alert the PC somehow.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

D&D packs a lot into concepts like "perception" and "wisdom". Collectively they cover both raw sensory input capacities and your ability to process and analyze what your senses pick up. Using the familiar you are using their raw sensory input with some degree of your own processing power. There is no strict rules way to break up what element is which in the Wizard/Familiar partnership here in a satisfying way. The path that will seem on the whole most fair is if you just use whichever one is better at any given time.

 

[simonf]

Thank you for the answers!