Rules help: Familiars

[Greenstone.Walker]

4) Is there any reason the familiar can't Help somebody other than its master, and give them advantage instead?

None, but remember that to Help someone, you must be able to do the task they are doing.

For example, I would not let an owl familiar Help on an attempt to pick a lock.

 

[nswanson27]

None, but remember that to Help someone, you must be able to do the task they are doing.

For example, I would not let an owl familiar Help on an attempt to pick a lock.

One common DM ruling that I've seen is that the familiar can only help with ability checks that it itself is proficient with. In the case of the owl, that's perception checks, nothing else.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

One common DM ruling that I've seen is that the familiar can only help with ability checks that it itself is proficient with. In the case of the owl, that's perception checks, nothing else.

Let it be remembered that what is "common" is not always what "makes sense."

 

[OB1]

Question on the OP point 3. What is protecting the Owl from the opportunity attack? I get that the Owl could fly in, help and then fly away, but not sure why that doesn't provoke.

 

[pukunui]

Question on the OP point 3. What is protecting the Owl from the opportunity attack? I get that the Owl could fly in, help and then fly away, but not sure why that doesn't provoke.

Its Flyby trait: "The owl provokes no opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach."

Bear in mind that this tactic isn't necessarily as overpowered as it might seem. For one thing, smart enemies will eventually catch on and target the owl to stop it from harassing them.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

Question on the OP point 3. What is protecting the Owl from the opportunity attack? I get that the Owl could fly in, help and then fly away, but not sure why that doesn't provoke.

Owls have a special trait called Flyby. It's function is to prevent provoking opportunity attacks for leaving a hostile creature's reach.

Edit: looks like Pukunui beat me to the punch.

So I'll add this: Everything seems like it is going so well for the party relying on the familiar for combat assistance... and then something tosses a single attack at the familiar, hits because the AC is probably 11 and that is really hard to miss, and immediately kills the familiar because it only ever has around 1 hit point. And getting the familiar back in action again costs 10 gp in materials and more than an hour of time.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I am not sure help works when you fly ayway. The help action gives advantage for the next attack on a target within 5ft of you. It is not entirely clear when the target has to be near you. When you use the action or when the other creature attacks. Below the quote from the basic rules emphasis mine:


Help

You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task. When you take the Help action, the creature you aid gains advantage on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you are helping with, provided that it makes the check before the start of your next turn.

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.

 

[Grakarg]

Interesting discussion regarding familiars, thanks all.

One thing I've noticed is that while familiars can deliver 'touch' spells for you, there really aren't that many spells with that range. I counted 3 on the wizard's spell list.

The most common spell you could use though, is the cantrip shocking grasp, making it one of the 'must have' cantrips I choose if I'm playing a spellcaster focused on using their familiar.

 

[Saggo]

So I'll add this: Everything seems like it is going so well for the party relying on the familiar for combat assistance... and then something tosses a single attack at the familiar, hits because the AC is probably 11 and that is really hard to miss, and immediately kills the familiar because it only ever has around 1 hit point. And getting the familiar back in action again costs 10 gp in materials and more than an hour of time.

With Flyby, you have the option of getting half-cover consistently (hides behind you or another party member). 3/4ths and full cover is harder, but if it's available Flyby let's you get back to it. It's definitely not foolproof, but it mitigates some risk.

Interesting discussion regarding familiars, thanks all.
One thing I've noticed is that while familiars can deliver 'touch' spells for you, there really aren't that many spells with that range. I counted 3 on the wizard's spell list.
The most common spell you could use though, is the cantrip shocking grasp, making it one of the 'must have' cantrips I choose if I'm playing a spellcaster focused on using their familiar.

Once you include Mage Initiate or Ritual Casting for other casters, the options become a lot more interesting. Even the basic Cure Wounds becomes a lot easier to use.

 

[Pandaemoni]

Interesting discussion regarding familiars, thanks all.

One thing I've noticed is that while familiars can deliver 'touch' spells for you, there really aren't that many spells with that range. I counted 3 on the wizard's spell list.

The most common spell you could use though, is the cantrip shocking grasp, making it one of the 'must have' cantrips I choose if I'm playing a spellcaster focused on using their familiar.

I have used Bestow Curse to great effect using an owl familiar, but if you are a single class wizard there are not many. (I was rather hoping for an errata to Find Familiar to allow one to use it in conjunction with spells that allow melee touch attacks...so pretty much add Vampiric Touch to the list of options, but that errata was not forthcoming.) And there is a real risk to the familiar (especially against long term enemies who know from experience that you are using the familiar for that purpose).

It shines slightly more for a conjurer, who can then use benign transposition with his familiar for added mobility, and even more with a multiclass wizard that has access to other useful touch range spells like Lesser and Greater Restoration, Cure Wounds, Inflict Wounds, Heroism, Enhance Ability and Revivify.