D&D 5E (2024) Move over Owl and Bat, the best 2024 familiar is a Deer!

[ECMO3]

So one of my players showed up with a Kobold Rogue with a Deer familiar (Find Familiar from magic initiate).

Checking the verbiage on Find Familiar I notice any beast with a 0 CR is usable.

So he is using it as a controlled mount with a 50 foot move (100 feet with dash) which is immune to AOOs. Also since he is mounted he gets sneak attack on any enemy within 5 feet as long as he does not have disadvantage.

I love that he found this combo.

 

[occam]

That is a cool find. Another option: a vulture, also Medium size.

Personally, I'd consider house-ruling a Tiny or Small size requirement for Find Familiar to better match traditional expectations of the spell, but I can't deny the fun of the idea.

 

[bedir than]

Decent help on Perception checks and that Dex gives it a bit of AOE survivability

 

[ECMO3]

Decent help on Perception checks and that Dex gives it a bit of AOE survivability

Yes it is a Charisma-Truestrike Build and he said he is going to end up getting Inspiring Leader and at higher levels mounted combatant to get even more survivability.

 

[Tessarael]

Immune to attacks of opportunities, because the deer is using disengage as its action, I presume? Oh deer!

 

[DrJawaPhD]

Immune to attacks of opportunities, because the deer is using disengage as its action, I presume? Oh deer!

2025 version of Deer has an ability called Agile which makes it not provoke opportunity attacks when it moves outside an enemies reach. No disengage required.

It is a Medium sized beast though so this idea only works if your PC is Small sized

 

[Weiley31]

Bambi bout to go John Wick on fools.

 

[Maxperson]

Immune to attacks of opportunities, because the deer is using disengage as its action, I presume? Oh deer!

Where does it say that riders don't provoke attacks of opportunity if their mount disengages?

 

[Tessarael]

Where does it say that riders don't provoke attacks of opportunity if their mount disengages?

By the rules as written (RAW), 2024 Player's Handbook page 26: "You also don't provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport or when you are moved without using your movement, action, bonus action, or reaction." When your mount moves and you are on it, you are not using your movement, action, bonus action, or reaction, thus you don't provoke an opportunity attack.

I double-checked both the D&D 2014 and most recent errata and the Sage Advice, and there is nothing in there that contradicts this. I double-checked the A5E rules too and there's also nothing in those rules that contradicts this.

See also Jeremy Crawford's 2015 Sage Advice response to this question:
If a mount takes the Disengage action does the rider provoke opportunity attacks?
Question: "If a mount takes the Disengage action does the rider provoke opportunity attacks? Wording of PHB 198."
Answer: "No, since the mount isn't provoking them and the rider is being moved by someone else's movement (PH, 195)."

Now from a DM perspective, there are a lot of advantages for a mounted combatant. There are ways to counter that, such as targeting the mount, or trying to dismount the rider. However, if it is overpowered in practice in your campaign, I can see a DM nerfing this and having the rider still suffer attacks of opportunity if they too do not use the disengage action.