bkthomson
Villager
Question about the familiar from Find Familiar: Is the 100-foot range telepathic connection a two-way communication, meaning the familiar can initiate the conversation?
Example: Wizard sends an owl familiar to a cave (out of view of the wizard) and warns him if something comes out. A Black Bear emerges from the cave, and the owl familiar pings the Wizard, saying Black Bear is out of the cave. Or does the Wizard have to keep asking the owl familiar what is happening?
I said that based on the Telepathy text in the Rule Glossary, the Owl could not establish communication with the Wizard and needed to wait until called by the Wizard. That did not go over well, with conversations about what the point of the communication is if it cannot talk back. I pointed out that the familiar can talk back, but the wizard has to initiate the communication first otherwise the owl familiar would need to fly back to the wizard to notify the bear has left the cave.
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Find Familiar
Telepathic Connection. While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as a Bonus Action, you can see through the familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses it has.
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Rule Glossary has this under Telepathy: "A creature without telepathy can receive telepathic messages but can’t initiate a telepathic conversation. Once a telepathic conversation starts, the non-telepath can communicate mentally to the telepath until the telepathic connection ends."
Example: Wizard sends an owl familiar to a cave (out of view of the wizard) and warns him if something comes out. A Black Bear emerges from the cave, and the owl familiar pings the Wizard, saying Black Bear is out of the cave. Or does the Wizard have to keep asking the owl familiar what is happening?
I said that based on the Telepathy text in the Rule Glossary, the Owl could not establish communication with the Wizard and needed to wait until called by the Wizard. That did not go over well, with conversations about what the point of the communication is if it cannot talk back. I pointed out that the familiar can talk back, but the wizard has to initiate the communication first otherwise the owl familiar would need to fly back to the wizard to notify the bear has left the cave.
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Find Familiar
Telepathic Connection. While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as a Bonus Action, you can see through the familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses it has.
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Rule Glossary has this under Telepathy: "A creature without telepathy can receive telepathic messages but can’t initiate a telepathic conversation. Once a telepathic conversation starts, the non-telepath can communicate mentally to the telepath until the telepathic connection ends."
