Flock of Familiars,. Totally OP

So far everyone I've seen talk about this is missing one of the best parts of this spell. Find familiar requires you to use your action to see through the familiar, while flock says that the familiar can use their action to share their senses with you. Meaning that you can cast any spell that only requires you to see the target from behind full cover as long as you're within range by using your ba to have a familiar share its sight. I can send in my familiars and use Vortex Warp to bring out enemies one at a time from 90 ft away (180 with distant spell from feat), which is something that, rules as written, you could not do with find familiar. I don't agree that it's broken, I think it lends itself to a very particular style of play though, and that would be the "guy in the chair" archetype. 

If you do they run

They run so far away

Have been considering picking it up to use for exploration- not because it's optimal, but because each player (player, not character) can 'steer' a familiar.

Turn exploring into a bit of an out of character mini game, but a more collaborative one than it often ends up being.

FWIW - I think that RAW the new magic item Necklace of the Beastly Familiar could transform all of your Familiars summoned via Flock of Familiars into Beasts one magic action at a time. There is no limit on how many times you can transform a familiar and the transformation lasts 10 minutes. A Lvl 5 Spell (upcast FoF) + Legendary version of this magic item = herd of 6x T-Rex familiars.

EDIT: Ah just noticed there is a matching charm that your familiar must wear. So maybe this does not work. But would work to transform one... shame... I wanted 6x T-Rexs...

Necklace of the Beastly Familiar (Giant Scorpion)     AU p120
Wondrous Item, Rare (Requires Attunement By a Spellcaster)

This bejeweled necklace is set with chrysoprase and comes with a matching charm that can be worn by your familiar.

Familiar. While wearing this necklace, you can cast the Find Familiar spell from it. Once the necklace has been used to cast this spell, it can't be used to cast it again until the next dawn.

Beast Transformation. While your familiar is within 60 feet of you, you can take a Magic action to activate the necklace. Your familiar shape-shifts into a Giant Scorpion for 10 minutes.
While your familiar is transformed, its stat block is replaced by the stat block of the Beast form, but it retains its alignment, personality, creature type, Hit Points, and Hit Point Dice. Equipment the familiar is wearing or carrying doesn't change size or shape to match the Beast form, and any equipment that the Beast form can't wear or carry falls to the ground. Your familiar gains a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to the Hit Points of the Beast form. These Temporary Hit Points vanish if any remain when the transformation ends. The transformation ends early on your familiar if it has no Temporary Hit Points left.

Quote from StonyMac >>

FWIW - I think that RAW the new magic item Necklace of the Beastly Familiar could transform all of your Familiars summoned via Flock of Familiars into Beasts one magic action at a time. There is no limit on how many times you can transform a familiar and the transformation lasts 10 minutes. A Lvl 5 Spell (upcast FoF) + Legendary version of this magic item = herd of 6x T-Rex familiars.

It's worth checking with your DM as to whether they'd allow something like this, because the item is pretty clearly written with the intent that you're using it with a familiar from either Find Familiar or Battle Familiar, both of which limit you to having one familiar at a time. Flock of Familiars is a pretty obscure 5e non-core spell that was only ever published in one charity adventure; the designers of newer content are unlikely to be taking it into account as a possibility.

Agree - also that matching charm part kills it. Only noticed that after reading it several times... Still worth thinking about to convert one of them into something more...

With the caveat that it is a spell from an adventure, Flock of Familiars interaction with the new familiar stuff is, imo, pretty clear.

Flock of Familiars explicitly overrides the 'only one familiar at a time' rule.  Specific > General means Flock of Familiars takes precedence here.

Flock of Familiars says: "Each familiar uses the same rules and options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell."  Not rules and options of the find familiar spell, but rules and options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell.

--Warlock Pact of the Chain forms?  Useable for all Flock of Familiars familiars, because it's options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell.

--Similarly, Necromancer's undead familiar options.

--Familiar Friend's Fortified Familiar and Helpful Friend features?  Works with all Flock of Familiars familiars, because they're all rules for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell.

--And so on for all the other familiar feat features.  (Do note that Energy Pulse from Elemental Familiar probably makes you choose one.  It's a bonus action for you, which you only have one of, and it makes 'your familiar' release a burst of energy, which is singular).

--Battle Familiar replaces one familiar.  The 'only one familiar' rule is the same text as FF itself ("You can't have more than one familiar at a time."), which FoF overrides.  Now, whether you choose which familiar is enhanced or not, and whether you can cast Battle Familiar multiple times, each time enhancing a different familiar, is something you'll need to discuss with your DM, but my inclination is no, this does not work.

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On Battle Familiar in particular, it is unclear how this should interact with Conjuration Wizard's Splintered Summons if you already have a familiar.  (If you don't have a familiar, Battle Familiar clearly can summon two, as a familiar is a spirit, and Battle Familiar has a statblock in the spell.  But if you already have one, it doesn't summon one, it enhances your existing familiar...  It's a weird interaction.  Not the only anti-synergy for a Conjuration wizard with FF and Battle Familiar - the Battle Familiar has less effective hp if enhancing a FF rather than conjuring one from nothing, as it transforms the BF's hp into temp hp, which doesn't stack with Conjurer's Durable Summons temp hp).

Quote from Squirrelloid >>

With the caveat that it is a spell from an adventure, Flock of Familiars interaction with the new familiar stuff is, imo, pretty clear.

Flock of Familiars explicitly overrides the 'only one familiar at a time' rule.  Specific > General means Flock of Familiars takes precedence here.

Flock of Familiars says: "Each familiar uses the same rules and options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell."  Not rules and options of the find familiar spell, but rules and options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell.

--Warlock Pact of the Chain forms?  Useable for all Flock of Familiars familiars, because it's options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell.

--Similarly, Necromancer's undead familiar options.

--Familiar Friend's Fortified Familiar and Helpful Friend features?  Works with all Flock of Familiars familiars, because they're all rules for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell.

--And so on for all the other familiar feat features.  (Do note that Energy Pulse from Elemental Familiar probably makes you choose one.  It's a bonus action for you, which you only have one of, and it makes 'your familiar' release a burst of energy, which is singular).

--Battle Familiar replaces one familiar.  The 'only one familiar' rule is the same text as FF itself ("You can't have more than one familiar at a time."), which FoF overrides.  Now, whether you choose which familiar is enhanced or not, and whether you can cast Battle Familiar multiple times, each time enhancing a different familiar, is something you'll need to discuss with your DM, but my inclination is no, this does not work.

-----------------

On Battle Familiar in particular, it is unclear how this should interact with Conjuration Wizard's Splintered Summons if you already have a familiar.  (If you don't have a familiar, Battle Familiar clearly can summon two, as a familiar is a spirit, and Battle Familiar has a statblock in the spell.  But if you already have one, it doesn't summon one, it enhances your existing familiar...  It's a weird interaction.  Not the only anti-synergy for a Conjuration wizard with FF and Battle Familiar - the Battle Familiar has less effective hp if enhancing a FF rather than conjuring one from nothing, as it transforms the BF's hp into temp hp, which doesn't stack with Conjurer's Durable Summons temp hp).

I am not sure about some of that - IMO.

As you said, the actual summoned familiars from Flock of Familiars follow the rules of Find Familiar Spell (and I agree that PoC familiars should be an option since PoC modifies the familiars available to that spell).

However, In my read of the features, Familiar Friend is only triggered when you cast Find Familiar: "Fortified Familiar. When you cast the Find Familiar spell, your familiar's Hit Point maximum and current Hit Points are increased by an amount equal to twice your character level." It ONLY modifies the familiar when/if you are casting Find Familiar, it does not modify the familiars available. Same wording for most of the new feats.

Quote from StonyMac >>

Quote from Squirrelloid >>

With the caveat that it is a spell from an adventure, Flock of Familiars interaction with the new familiar stuff is, imo, pretty clear.

Flock of Familiars explicitly overrides the 'only one familiar at a time' rule.  Specific > General means Flock of Familiars takes precedence here.

Flock of Familiars says: "Each familiar uses the same rules and options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell."  Not rules and options of the find familiar spell, but rules and options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell.

--Warlock Pact of the Chain forms?  Useable for all Flock of Familiars familiars, because it's options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell.

--Similarly, Necromancer's undead familiar options.

--Familiar Friend's Fortified Familiar and Helpful Friend features?  Works with all Flock of Familiars familiars, because they're all rules for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell.

--And so on for all the other familiar feat features.  (Do note that Energy Pulse from Elemental Familiar probably makes you choose one.  It's a bonus action for you, which you only have one of, and it makes 'your familiar' release a burst of energy, which is singular).

--Battle Familiar replaces one familiar.  The 'only one familiar' rule is the same text as FF itself ("You can't have more than one familiar at a time."), which FoF overrides.  Now, whether you choose which familiar is enhanced or not, and whether you can cast Battle Familiar multiple times, each time enhancing a different familiar, is something you'll need to discuss with your DM, but my inclination is no, this does not work.

-----------------

On Battle Familiar in particular, it is unclear how this should interact with Conjuration Wizard's Splintered Summons if you already have a familiar.  (If you don't have a familiar, Battle Familiar clearly can summon two, as a familiar is a spirit, and Battle Familiar has a statblock in the spell.  But if you already have one, it doesn't summon one, it enhances your existing familiar...  It's a weird interaction.  Not the only anti-synergy for a Conjuration wizard with FF and Battle Familiar - the Battle Familiar has less effective hp if enhancing a FF rather than conjuring one from nothing, as it transforms the BF's hp into temp hp, which doesn't stack with Conjurer's Durable Summons temp hp).

I am not sure about some of that - IMO.

As you said, the actual summoned familiars from Flock of Familiars follow the rules of Find Familiar Spell (and I agree that PoC familiars should be an option since PoC modifies the familiars available to that spell).

However, In my read of the features, Familiar Friend is only triggered when you cast Find Familiar: "Fortified Familiar. When you cast the Find Familiar spell, your familiar's Hit Point maximum and current Hit Points are increased by an amount equal to twice your character level." It ONLY modifies the familiar when/if you are casting Find Familiar, it does not modify the familiars available. Same wording for most of the new feats.

 You didn't read what I wrote or the FoF quote: "Each familiar uses the same rules and options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell."

Not 'uses the rules of the find familiar spell'.  The same rules and options for a familiar conjured by the find familiar spell.  Familiar Friend has rules that apply to a familiar conjured by the Find Familiar spell.  So they explicitly apply to FoF.