Seeing-Eye Whatever: What are my limitations while using a familiar's senses?

[CatofRiddles]

I love playing a halfling. Lucky and Naturally Stealthy are traits too good to pass up. But no Darkvision means they're handicapped as a rogue. One solution i've come up with is to take either Magic Initiate or Ritual Casting to gain Find Familiar and look through my familiar's eyes when exploring dungeons and dark caves. But i've been confused about the technicalities associated with using the familiar this way.

Can I walk/sneak while using my Owl's senses with it perched on my shoulder?

Can i attack while using the Familiar's Senses?

Or am I better off taking Skulker/Alert and hoping my DM gives me Goggles of Darkvision?

[Stealthscout]

The important thingsto remember with a familiar are:

it has only 1HP
it is a creature in its own right, including initiative and saves
you are blind in any round you look through its eyes



Can I walk/sneak while using my Owl's senses with it perched on my shoulder?
Sure, but it can be targeted while there and is likely to die instantly if hit or forced to save. For the rest of the round you are blind as a result. So don't do it when around traps or you are fighting anything with AoE spells/abilities.

Can i attack while using them?
Absolutely. They can even be used to give advantage on the attack on its action.

Or am I better off taking Skulker/Alert and hoping my DM gives me Goggles of Darkvision?
If you can expect a specific magical item like that, probably. I wouldn't keep my hopes up, though.

[Dalebert]

As a rogue, you could use your Cunning Action to use stealth as a bonus action and your normal movement. Your actions would be used up to look through its eyes. That might be fine if it's on your shoulder. You could probably see well enough to move around. As pointed out, you'd be blind but also deaf I believe, since you can use all of its senses. An owl has 120 darkvision and advantage on sight and hearing checks which gives it a passive perception of 18 with those senses.

You may just want to see if anyone in your party can prepare the Darkvision spell.

[CatofRiddles]

Can I walk/sneak while using my Owl's senses with it perched on my shoulder?
Sure, but it can be targeted while there and is likely to die instantly if hit or forced to save. For the rest of the round you are blind as a result. So don't do it when around traps or you are fighting anything with AoE spells/abilities.
[B]

That's a good point. Unless i can attack while using the familiar's senses, I might be able to light a candle or something while using my cunning action before the start of combat.

[Addaran]

Can i attack while using the Familiar's Senses?


If i remember right, you can't. To use your familiar's senses, it takes your action. So outside of very specific circumstance (fighter dip for action surge, hasted, bonus action attack that doesn't need the attack action to be activated) you can't attack since your action is spoken for.

[Vogonjeltz]

I love playing a halfling. Lucky and Naturally Stealthy are traits too good to pass up. But no Darkvision means they're handicapped as a rogue. One solution i've come up with is to take either Magic Initiate or Ritual Casting to gain Find Familiar and look through my familiar's eyes when exploring dungeons and dark caves. But i've been confused about the technicalities associated with using the familiar this way.

Can I walk/sneak while using my Owl's senses with it perched on my shoulder?

Can i attack while using the Familiar's Senses?

Or am I better off taking Skulker/Alert and hoping my DM gives me Goggles of Darkvision?

Well, you could dip into Warlock for 3 levels in order to take on the Pact of the Chain gaining both a familiar and access to the Voice of the Chain Master invocation.

A Warlock with Voice of the Chain Master provides telepathic communication and perception through the familiars senses while on the same plane. It doesn't require any action and doesn't inhibit the Warlock in any way. In effect, it's like the familiars senses are also the Warlocks senses.

So basically it provides a vast improvement on the traditional use of the familiars senses, plus you can talk through it, which is fun.


Can i attack while using them?
Absolutely. They can even be used to give advantage on the attack on its action.

With just the find familiar spell it requires an action to see through their eyes each round; so without Action Surge there's no way to do that and to attack.

[Addaran]

Well, you could dip into Warlock for 3 levels in order to take on the Pact of the Chain gaining both a familiar and access to the Voice of the Chain Master invocation.

A Warlock with Voice of the Chain Master provides telepathic communication and perception through the familiars senses while on the same plane. It doesn't require any action and doesn't inhibit the Warlock in any way. In effect, it's like the familiars senses are also the Warlocks senses.

So basically it provides a vast improvement on the traditional use of the familiars senses, plus you can talk through it, which is fun.



With just the find familiar spell it requires an action to see through their eyes each round; so without Action Surge there's no way to do that and to attack.

There was a tweet about this. The VotCM invocation is supposed to only expend the normal ability with what is specifically written. So upgraded range and the ability to talk through the familiar. It's not supposed to remove the action requirement. So RAI it shouldn't work.

[Vogonjeltz]

There was a tweet about this. The VotCM invocation is supposed to only expend the normal ability with what is specifically written. So upgraded range and the ability to talk through the familiar. It's not supposed to remove the action requirement. So RAI it shouldn't work.

That isn't what Crawford tweeted. He said: "Voice of the Chain Master enhances the find familiar spell, which otherwise works as written for the warlock. #DnD"

Which is Crawfords typically cryptic way of telling people to RTFM.

Checked errata and the sage advice documents, nothing there on this subject.

[Dalebert]

This was beaten to death in another thread. It still uses your action to use its senses.

[CatofRiddles]

This was beaten to death in another thread. It still uses your action to use its senses.

What was the thread? I tried searching for this before i posted.

[Addaran]

That isn't what Crawford tweeted. He said: "Voice of the Chain Master enhances the find familiar spell, which otherwise works as written for the warlock. #DnD"

Which is Crawfords typically cryptic way of telling people to RTFM.

Checked errata and the sage advice documents, nothing there on this subject.

Work as written except for the part it enhances.... normaly you use his senses with an action, if the familiar is within 100 feets. The enhance part is to make it plane-wide instead of 100 feats. Nothing about being quicker/not taking an action.


You can interpret it as you want, but i think it's fair to tell the OP that there is a good chance the DM will not allow it. Maybe 50-50. So better not make a character specifically centered on that use, more so if he's with AL where the DM will change.