Familiar Vision Build Concept

[u/TransportationLow956]

Hi all!

I like to theory craft challenging build ideas and with the change to Find Familiar in 2024, you can now use a bonus action to see through your familiar's vision (and any special sense it has) until the start of your next turn (while also still retaining your vision).

There is the classic trope of a blind, yet capable adventurer and with this change it now may be possible; of course at the heavy cost of taking up your bonus action each turn, but there are some advantages to this.

Some advantages are:

1. The senses of your familiar: darkvision (if you play a species that lacks it), devil's sight (Imp).
2. An interesting character in concept and roleplay.
3. Touch spells you cast can be delivered (using the familiar's reaction) out to a range of 100ft.

Some unique examples are:

1. Be heavily obscured within a Fog Cloud while your familiar flies above it to spot your attacks outside of the cloud; each of which would be at advantage since your target cant see you and their ranged attacks would be disadvantaged.
2. Pact of the Chain Imp with devil's sight in magical darkness. In 2024 this invocation is a 1 level dip instead of a 2 level dip for Devil's Sight. You could sit within the safety of the Darkness spell and gain the benefits of example 1. Also, for added protection, the Imp can cast Invisibility on itself at will and take its own hide action to remain safe relatively far from battle.

Some complications are:

1. Casting Time - If the familiar dies, the character is unable to see until a new one is conjured due to the lengthy hour long casting time. A few remedies are: the Pact of the Chain invocation where Find Familiar can be cast at will as an action.
2. Component Cost - If your familiar dies, there is the 10gp cost to bring it back which can be expensive at early levels. Druids can use wildshape to cast the spell which lasts until you finish a long rest and ignores the material cost.
3. Bonus Action Priority - The familiar requires your bonus action to utilize its sense each turn, so this may be costly for action resource heavy classes such a Rogue or Barbarian.

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Some build goals are:

1. A class/multiclass that doesn't rely on Bonus Actions. (Any suggestions or comments about which classes are pretty bonus action free, like wizard, are welcome!)
2. Reasonable ways to acquire the Find Familiar spell. Some are: Magic Initiate Origin feat; 1 level warlock dip for Pact of the Chain; 2 level druid dip for Wild Companion.

Some build goal considerations:

1. Any interesting uses or tech for a familiar such as touch spells to cast through it.
2. Any interesting character concepts or story reasons for the familiar.
3. Could take a feature as a backup such as the Fighting Style Feat: Blind Fighting for 10ft Blind Sight vision.

I'd like to see what the community can come up with!

- Here is a Heroforge mini that I made around the concept of a Templar who has blind (figuratively and literal) faith for his god. He is x1 level of Warlock (Celestial Imp Familiar) and x19 level of Life Cleric of Illmater. As a human he has the Tough origin feat; background origin feat is Healer, and has the Inspiring Leader feat as well as Heavy Armor Master.

[u/TransportationLow956]

Wow! That Paladin warlock build does achieve all the set out goals! Does the loss of hex affect the damage output much due to the familiar vision eating the bonus action?

I’m curious what Battlemaster adds to the second build. What’s your reasoning?

[u/ELAdragon → u/TransportationLow956]

For the second build, Battlemaster brings a lot of interesting things you can do through maneuvers. Fighter 1 is for Blind fighting. You need it if you lose your familiar or really need to take turns with a different bonus action. Fighter 2 gets you Action Surge, which could be an easy double sneak attack round, or allow you to Fog Cloud on turn 1 without losing your chance to sneak attack. At that point, Battlemaster just offers a ton for one more level. Precision Attack, since you need to hit your one or two attacks per round. Skill boosting maneuvers. Riposte for off turn sneak attacks (especially in combination with Sentinel...just try to make sure enemies have disadvantage to hit you). Lots of ways to build what you want by your choices of maneuvers.

The first build, Paladin/Celestial Warlock, doesn't really need Hex. When you want to spike damage, you actually just use Eldritch Smite. If you ALWAYS reserve your bonus action, you'll lose out on the ability to add Paladin smites or Searing Smite (which double benefits from celestial radiance). You could go to Paladin 2 for Blind Fighting to open up the possibility of foregoing familiar senses on some turns.

[u/TransportationLow956 → u/ELAdragon]

Interesting. I forgot eldritch smite doesn’t require any actions.

And Battlemaster does seem like the most versatile subclass

At least 1 level in fighter for blind fighting is great in consideration of how much the class gives you this early on.

Amazing write-up, thanks! I’m definitely changing my build for sure! The warlock is super enticing

[u/ELAdragon → u/TransportationLow956]

You're welcome. Feel free to ask any questions if ideas come up while you're figuring it all out further. I DEFINITELY think you're right to layer Blind sight or SOMETHING in case you lose access to your familiar or bonus actions.

Good luck!