D&D 5E Rogues are Awesome. Is it the Tasha's Effect?

[Flamestrike]

Er, what? Familiar flies to my target, and readies the help action for when I am about to attack. That's it. No house rule. No need for a lucky initiative roll. Only risk is someone else killing that target before the rogue's turn, or foes killing the familiar.

Yeah or the monster just wandering off seeing as familiars cant attack.

Yes. And I also find it speeds up my play, though I am an experienced player, which frees time up for me to do more role playing. When I am playing my Wizard, I spend most of the time others players are taking their turn thinking about the mechanics of the game and my spell options and the battlefield tactics. When I play my rogue, I can think up clever and fun role playing things during other players turns, which is usually more fun for everyone once my turn comes around.

Yeah they're much more tactical in use of abilities, where a Wizard is more strategic (do I drop a big boom now, or save it for later?).

 

[Oofta]

Er, what? Familiar flies to my target, and readies the help action for when I am about to attack. That's it. No house rule. No need for a lucky initiative roll. Only risk is someone else killing that target before the rogue's turn, or foes killing the familiar.
...

It may be a bit cheesy, but the familiar does not have to ready an action, you just state that the familiar is aiding your next attack. Doesn't matter if 3 other PCs attack in between.

Under Combat Actions, Help

Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally's attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.​

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I don't hit this in my game because it's just easier to have familiars and sidekicks go on the same initiative as the PC. I just have people choose which is going first and they need to stick with it unless they want to change before combat starts for some reason. I prefer to go with simplicity and fun over strict reading of the rules.

 

[Mistwell]

Yeah, I warn players doing this trick that the first time the familiar does the Help action, they are telling me it is fair game. I will have enemies throw rocks at it if they can target it.

And if a first level spell said "You get advantage on your next attack, and one enemy loses their next attack" that would be a decent first level spell. The fact that they may in fact miss the familiar and they'd have to waste a second attack on it, and I might even get second advantage from it, makes it great.

And I do lose familiars sometimes. Just not that often. Too often the target the familiar harassed goes down and the other foes are not going to waste time trying to take it out when they already have some other PC on them that they need to deal with.

 

[Mistwell]

Yeah or the monster just wandering off seeing as familiars cant attack.

Well then they just drew an opportunity attack usually. Which is fine by me. That would be optimal in fact But sure, sometimes me or someone else isn't next to the target and the familiar doesn't use the help action that turn. Which is why I said my PC has three ways to gain advantage: Familiar, Hiding behind another PC, and Steady Aim. If it's not one, then it's usually one of the others.

 

[Mistwell]

It may be a bit cheesy, but the familiar does not have to ready an action, you just state that the familiar is aiding your next attack. Doesn't matter if 3 other PCs attack in between.

Under Combat Actions, Help

Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally's attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.​

​

I don't hit this in my game because it's just easier to have familiars and sidekicks go on the same initiative as the PC. I just have people choose which is going first and they need to stick with it unless they want to change before combat starts for some reason. I prefer to go with simplicity and fun over strict reading of the rules.

Some of my DMs read that as "next ally to attack" as opposed to a specific ally attacks. At one time I read it like you do, but my most recent DM doesn't read it that way so I've used the Ready method instead.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yeah, I warn players doing this trick that the first time the familiar does the Help action, they are telling me it is fair game. I will have enemies throw rocks at it if they can target it.

Which buys them a turn or two of enemies attacking the familiar instead of the players. Good use of 10gp and 10 minutes if you ask me.

 

[iserith]

Which buys them a turn or two of enemies attacking the familiar instead of the players. Good use of 10gp and 10 minutes if you ask me.

I get to make a wandering monster check though after that 10 minutes in most cases!

 

[Charlaquin]

I get to make a wandering monster check though after that 10 minutes in most cases!

That does impact the decision (as well it should!) Do your players have a good sense of how likely a wandering monster check is to succeed?

 

[iserith]

That does impact the decision (as well it should!) Do your players have a good sense of how likely a wandering monster check is to succeed?

Yeah, they know and have ways to modify it.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yeah, they know and have ways to modify it.

Excellent. Sounds like good gameplay.