Is using a familiar in combat to grant advantage a common tactic?

[UngeheuerLich]

That's fine of course as a house rule but the help action in combat RAW does not require an attack or threat to help. It specifically mentions directly "feint, distracts the target or in some other way... "

The rule requiring both parties involved to be able to do whatever it is on their own is in the broader scope "Working Together" section in the chapter on Ability Checks, not the chapter on combat and attack rolls.

This is but one of many cases of how ability checks and attack checks play by different rules.

Maybe or maybe not. You could rule either way. Your interpretation might have more supporters but the other one is not without logic.
If you tell me about the distraction i might grant advantage. In some cases I don't see how the owl can help except by hanging around the target opening itself to counter attacks.
5e has fiction first rules second. You can't attack when you don't have free hands or a weapon. Likewise you can't help if there is nothing you can do to actually help.

 

[5ekyu]

Maybe or maybe not. You could rule either way. Your interpretation might have more supporters but the other one is not without logic.
If you tell me about the distraction i might grant advantage. In some cases I don't see how the owl can help except by hanging around the target opening itself to counter attacks.
5e has fiction first rules second. You can't attack when you don't have free hands or a weapon. Likewise you can't help if there is nothing you can do to actually help.

Uh... Hey like i said one can rule anything for your own game but RAW has ability scores and attack help defined seperately with their own rules.

Obviously, no GM is required to follow RAW in their own games.

As for not attacking without free hands or weapons, again citing raw, kicks and headbutts are allowed as unarmed attacks. But of couse a gm can decide the "fiction" ssys no to that too.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Uh... Hey like i said one can rule anything for your own game but RAW has ability scores and attack help defined seperately with their own rules.

Obviously, no GM is required to follow RAW in their own games.

As for not attacking without free hands or weapons, again citing raw, kicks and headbutts are allowed as unarmed attacks. But of couse a gm can decide the "fiction" ssys no to that too.

Hey. I wouldn't stop you attacking a stone wall with your head. It wouldn't be efficient though.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Maybe or maybe not. You could rule either way. Your interpretation might have more supporters but the other one is not without logic.
If you tell me about the distraction i might grant advantage. In some cases I don't see how the owl can help except by hanging around the target opening itself to counter attacks.
5e has fiction first rules second. You can't attack when you don't have free hands or a weapon. Likewise you can't help if there is nothing you can do to actually help.

I agree with this. Unless the player can come up with something the familiar can do to help that continues to function after it has flown away I would rule the help action fails. Likewise if the familiar is disabled or killed between the help action being declared and the dice being rolled.

Flyby is still useful for delivering touch attack spells like Shocking Grasp though.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I agree with this. Unless the player can come up with something the familiar can do to help that continues to function after it has flown away I would rule the help action fails. Likewise if the familiar is disabled or killed between the help action being declared and the dice being rolled.

Flyby is still useful for delivering touch attack spells like Shocking Grasp though.

Actually this is not completely true.
I think in later prints it was clarified that the touch delivery is the reaction of the owl. So to really make use of flyby attack you as a caster need to ready an action to caste the spell during the familiars turn. So it is only useful if you don't have a differet concentration spell going and the cast could be interrupted.

Edit: and if you hit with shocking grasp flyby is often not needed anymore.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There are other touch spells that a familar could deliver - but you make the point - flyby attack really isn't all that great that you need to start restricting access to it, or change tactics if you see an owl. It's just better than what the default hawk gets, which is a big round zero.

My character has a bat familiar, I reckon blindsight is more useful. He still uses the help action in combat sometimes, but only if the sitution is dire.

 

[5ekyu]

There are other touch spells that a familar could deliver - but you make the point - flyby attack really isn't all that great that you need to start restricting access to it, or change tactics if you see an owl. It's just better than what the default hawk gets, which is a big round zero.

My character has a bat familiar, I reckon blindsight is more useful. He still uses the help action in combat sometimes, but only if the sitution is dire.

Also a bat familiar guy, I find that by the time I start thinking "need familiar help in a fight" I am using him to scout or escape route to make sure it hasn't been closed behind us.

At least, thsts what my charscter's familiar keeps telling the charscter whrn it's the first to bolt!!!

Sometimes its a question of who is who's whom's familiar?