Familiar Question.

[Erose]

When using the option of delivering a touch spell with one's familiar, does the familiar already have to be adjacent to the target the instant the spell is cast? I know that it uses it's reaction to deliver the spell, but I'm not quite certain if it can move within range and deliver the spell all in JUST a reaction.

[Maxilian]

Yes, your target needs to be at touch range from the familiar

[Saggo]

The trick is to ready your spell for when the familiar is in touch range. That way the familiar can move into range its turn. Takes your concentration, though.

[RickAllison]

The trick is to ready your spell for when the familiar is in touch range. That way the familiar can move into range its turn. Takes your concentration, though.

Worth it if you can stick something like Plane Shift, though.

[Saggo]

Worth it if you can stick something like Plane Shift, though.

I'm thinking of a Life 1/Chain X build for my next game where one combat option is to Ready Inflict Wounds for after my Familiar uses Help. Spell casts with advantage on its turn, using a Warlock slot for decent upcast.

[Flashy]

I'm thinking of a Life 1/Chain X build for my next game where one combat option is to Ready Inflict Wounds for after my Familiar uses Help. Spell casts with advantage on its turn, using a Warlock slot for decent upcast.

That would also require you to be within 5 feet of the familiar so that the familiar can use the Help action on you. I'm not really seeing the advantage over just having the familiar Help you and then casting inflict wounds on the target.

[Addaran]

That would also require you to be within 5 feet of the familiar so that the familiar can use the Help action on you. I'm not really seeing the advantage over just having the familiar Help you and then casting inflict wounds on the target.

I think he mean that the familiar Help himself, then the character cast the spell on his turn. The familiar then use his reaction to deliver that spell, with advantage cause he helped himself.

But i'm pretty sure you can't Help yourself....

[Saggo]

That would also require you to be within 5 feet of the familiar so that the familiar can use the Help action on you. I'm not really seeing the advantage over just having the familiar Help you and then casting inflict wounds on the target.

Hm, yeah. Rereading Find Familiar it heavily implies the Familiar is the one attacking even if it doesn't explicitly state it. I was just thinking about it being my attack roll. Oh well.


I think he mean that the familiar Help himself, then the character cast the spell on his turn. The familiar then use his reaction to deliver that spell, with advantage cause he helped himself.

But i'm pretty sure you can't Help yourself....
I never meant for the Familiar to help itself.

[Squibsallotl]

Even when using the familiar to deliver a touch spell, you (the caster) still make the attack roll. Having the familiar use the Help action to distract the target on its turn, followed by a Readied Action spell (delivered by the familiar as a reaction) does work.

Contagion (Slimy Doom) is the nastiest touch spell IMO, although Flesh Rot combined with some high DPR characters can be fun too.

[Saggo]

Even when using the familiar to deliver a touch spell, you (the caster) still make the attack roll. Having the familiar use the Help action to distract the target on its turn, followed by a Readied Action spell (delivered by the familiar as a reaction) does work.

It's not immediately clear. Find Familiar says the familiar "can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell." Deliver and attack can be related but seperate. So far so good. Then we get the requirements, followed with "If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll." If the attack was explicitly yours, this is redundant. That's why I said there's an implication that the attack is coming from the familiar. This does contradict the familiars can't attack clause, but touch spells are an explicit function, possibly meant to be an exception.

But that does lead to another important implication. If the familiar is attacking, then an invisible one will get advantage for being unseen. The net result for a Chainlock with anything but pseudodragon is advantage regardless of ruling.

For the sake of the mechanics though, we have two options. Either the attack is yours and the familiar can Help you, thus letting you time it with Ready so you stay at range. Or the attack is the familiar's and the invisible familiar gets advantage anyway.

I'd argue the most likely reading is the attack is yours. It fits the model of the spell better and isn't explicitly contradicted.

[Erose]

I could see how the familiar uses it's Action to Help, then uses it's Reaction to deliver the touch attack with Advantage works RAW. Sounds weird but that seems legit. On another note, I just realized the familiar is 5th editions version of 3.5's Spectral Hand.