D&D 5E Familiars, what for?

[Neonchameleon]

A few years back, I remember some people griping online that it was "cheap" to let a Familiar take the Help action.

Then, on another forum I frequent, a day or two ago, I started seeing arguments about how Familiars are not only not good at scouting, but should probably be killed more often than not if someone insists on making them scout.

I rarely take Familiars on my casters because they are notoriously fragile (though I have made use of Improved Familiar in Pathfinder). In 3.5, you took one for a passive benefit and then hid it in a pouch or something.

But in 5e, I'm a little confused. If there's pushback for having Familiars take actions, what the point of them even is. What should they be doing?

And are the complainers just being jerks?

Familiars, if they venture into combat are fair game; they shouldn't be "automatic advantage all the time" and if an owl keeps on trying that someone's putting an arrow or javelin through it.

For me the first (non pet/flavour) use of the familiar is to provide a warning. The owl or hawk circling overhead is unlikely to get attacked and gives you a good chance of spotting an ambush. And if the ambush shoots it they've just revealed they are threatening you. Or the rat bringing up the rear to give you a turn's warning about reinforcements. They're also unobtrusive as well as sneaky. A rat hiding in a room is just a rat doing rat things. They're also another attempt to spot people. And excellent spies in the right situation.

The combat use is reserved for when the rubber meets the road. A hawk that dives a dragon's face as a distraction is gonna get disembodied (and eventually resummoned) as is a rat that runs up the inside of the robe of a caster.

Find Familiar is only a first level spell, nothing more. Pact of the Chain is something more - with invisible flying scouting, an extra form of vision, and in the case of the sprite with the right invocation bonus action archery which can stay out of the way much better.

 

[Li Shenron]

What should they be doing?

I think the 5e version is quite explicit in their main uses:

• short range scrying
• deliver touch spells at range

Forget everything else, for a 1st level spell that doesn't even cost a slot to cast, these are already worthy benefits.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

But please do go on with your rant.

Mod Note:

This is a classic example of making it personal. Don’t DO that. Thank you.

 

[Maxperson]

A few years back, I remember some people griping online that it was "cheap" to let a Familiar take the Help action.

Then, on another forum I frequent, a day or two ago, I started seeing arguments about how Familiars are not only not good at scouting, but should probably be killed more often than not if someone insists on making them scout.

I rarely take Familiars on my casters because they are notoriously fragile (though I have made use of Improved Familiar in Pathfinder). In 3.5, you took one for a passive benefit and then hid it in a pouch or something.

But in 5e, I'm a little confused. If there's pushback for having Familiars take actions, what the point of them even is. What should they be doing?

And are the complainers just being jerks?

They shouldn't replace a PC and just like PCs get into trouble sometimes when scouting, so should a familiar who is put in that position. Only the PC is tough enough to survive it most of the time, where the familiar will die most of the time.

This does not mean that there should be no actions the familiar could help you with, but it should be something that a small animal actually COULD help with and in relative safety to keep it alive. It's a small bonus to the PC, not a henchman.

 

[Maxperson]

I'm not sure about "obnoxious" but it can be harder, more expensive, or impossible, depending on where you are in the setting. That just ups the ante on protecting your mounts, allowing for more meaningful decisions. Spells can help here, of course.

As for not making those kinds of choices, is that because you don't want to or because those things aren't all that important in the contexts of the games you're playing?

It's also a reason to take the Mounted Combatant feat if your table uses them.

 

[Maxperson]

Me and you don't have a lot in common but I am glad to say this we do. I often run VASTLY different campaign concepts, and I have had to make major changes (no full casters, no druids, a list of sub class restrictions) and my players always make due with the changes.

Isn't that a bit redundant?

 

[Maxperson]

I will answer this when you first answer the question that I asked, which is why you are obviously going out of your way to prevent characters from having familiars with even a small chance to live, with sentences like "kill on sight" and "at risk for even having them out, doing nothing".

I'm not @iserith and I don't agree with the kill on sight aspect, but familiars can and should be targeted when it's appropriate to do so. If wolves come into camp, one might decide that the Owl sitting next to the wizard would make a quick and easy dinner, even if it was "out, doing nothing."

 

[Lyxen]

I have two PCs in my regular group with familiars, as I stated.

But we do have those things. The PCs have a goat, three mules, 7 hirelings to man their river boat, and two familiars. At the moment, they also have an NPC cleric they just rescued and are traveling a long distance to bring back to town. So they need to protect that NPC too.

Then I can only conclude that you don't actually run games by your statement that your "general policy is to kill familiars on sight".

That's fine, and much better that way at least from my perspective as a player.

 

[Lyxen]

I'm not @iserith and I don't agree with the kill on sight aspect, but familiars can and should be targeted when it's appropriate to do so. If wolves come into camp, one might decide that the Owl sitting next to the wizard would make a quick and easy dinner, even if it was "out, doing nothing."

Absolutely, I've never mentioned anything to the contrary, it all depends on circumstances, like for the choice of any target by any NPC/Monster.

 

[iserith]

Then I can only conclude that you don't actually run games by your statement that your "general policy is to kill familiars on sight".

That's fine, and much better that way at least from my perspective as a player.

Except that I do, given the opportunity. The trick is whether you, as a player, present such an opportunity and I am able to follow through. I even gave you a specific example of such an instance in a recent game. I have many more such examples. So I'm not really sure how you can reach this conclusion.