Since a familiar needs to use their reaction to deliver a spell you cast, you can't really use the familiar to cast the spell in your turn unless the familiar is actually within touch range of the target, if I read it right.. Because a familiar has their own initiative, so in order to be near an enemy it needs to stop next to it. The reason I bring it up is because I've heard Owl is supposedly the best familiar because of the flyby attack, so it can't be hit. Normally this isn't possible though, since it needs to do that in its own turn. 

Now, one way to get around this would be to use the ready action to cast the spell when the familiar is next to the target, though casting a spell this way requires concentration and would break any previous spells you're concentrating on. In addition it uses your reaction as well as the familiars. Also, ready action only seems to work with spells that have a casting time of 1 action (no bonus action spells cast with ready action). 

In other words, either:
A: Cast a touch spell through your familiar which is standing next to an enemy. Familiar uses its reaction to do it.     OR
B: Ready action cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action, use your concentration to keep this spell going until it's your familiars turn. During the familiar's turn, you both use your reactions to deliver the spell. 


Did I miss something or is this the way it works? 

Thanks, just wanted to make sure I got it right. 

In combat it can be iffy. But then familiars can touch themselves (... Just don't.) so you can just give them Dragon's Breath and use them for extra damage.

Quote from Lyxen >>

 

I think this is a very good summary. That being said, it's a common house rule for the familiar to act as the same time as the wizard to avoid initiative to be too complex, in which case it's a bit easier to manage.

 The house rule is applied differently by different DMs, I think allowing the wizard to xcast a spell in the middle of the familiars movement makes fine familiar overpowered so I rule that the familaiar always has its turn immedately after the caster. I also know DMs that allow it to be before or after but not to have one in the middle of the other

Well, you can always hold a casting of a spell on your turn, to cast it as your own reaction on your familiar's turn, which also uses the familiar's reaction.... that lets you cast on their turn, but it does require keeping concentration on your held spell, which may interfere with something else you have up, or put you at risk of losing concentration if struck between your turn and the familiar's, and may not play nicely with your action economy if you're a sorcerer using metamagic or something.  

Quote from Chicken_Champ >>

Well, you can always hold a casting of a spell on your turn, to cast it as your own reaction on your familiar's turn, which also uses the familiar's reaction.... that lets you cast on their turn, but it does require keeping concentration on your held spell, which may interfere with something else you have up, or put you at risk of losing concentration if struck between your turn and the familiar's, and may not play nicely with your action economy if you're a sorcerer using metamagic or something.  

 and the ready action requires you to cast touch spells with a casting time of 1 action if you're going to use it with the familiar. no bonus action spells. 

Really?

Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.

When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold its energy, which you release with your reaction when the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a casting time of 1 action, and holding onto the spell's magic requires concentration (explained in chapter 10). If your concentration is broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect. For example, if you are concentrating on the web spell and ready magic missile, your web spell ends, and if you take damage before you release magic missile with your reaction, your concentration might be broken.

Huh, I hadn't noticed that.... 

ALTHOUGH, I just realized, this DOES essentially let you cast a leveled spell with both Action and Bonus Action, working around the Bonus Action Spells restriction!!!! By using your Action to "Ready" a spell, you are not actually casting that spell with your action. Meaning, you can cast a Bonus Action quickened Fireball, but still use your Action to Ready an Inflict Wounds or something through your Familiar. You don't get both spells quite on your own turn, but it could work to pump leveled spells out more quickly than the Bonus Action Spells rule normally would allow. 

Hmmm. Okay, good catch, nevermind. Aw man...

Well of course your attack will be the familiar reaction since the attack is in another creatures. Initiative turn.

If my fey warlock has his sprite attack with his sprite bow, he has to burn his attack action to allow sir dragonfly to reaction attack.

Much like when my dragonborn sorc.wiz.lock has his Bat Bug-eater do the dodge action next to the enemy.   And casts showing grasp.. through him.

Quote from dot113 >>

In other words, either:
A: Cast a touch spell through your familiar which is standing next to an enemy. Familiar uses its reaction to do it.     OR
B: Ready action cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action, use your concentration to keep this spell going until it's your familiars turn. During the familiar's turn, you both use your reactions to deliver the spell. 

Did I miss something or is this the way it works? 

 Yep, that is how it works.

The thing that makes Owls great is that they can flyby help.

Based on my understanding, if the familiar happens to act on an earlier initiative than the Wizard it could simply use the Ready action. Once the Wizard acts and is able to cast their spell then the familiar can use its Reaction to deliver the touch.

At least that's how I'd rule it, personally. It's definitely easier to just simplify things and have the Familiar act on the same initiative as the Wizard.

Edit: That's what I get for not reading the whole thread. I added nothing that wasn't already said. :D

Quote from Lyxen>>

Quote from dot113>>

Since a familiar needs to use their reaction to deliver a spell you cast, you can't really use the familiar to cast the spell in your turn unless the familiar is actually within touch range of the target, if I read it right.. Because a familiar has their own initiative, so in order to be near an enemy it needs to stop next to it. The reason I bring it up is because I've heard Owl is supposedly the best familiar because of the flyby attack, so it can't be hit. Normally this isn't possible though, since it needs to do that in its own turn. 

Yes. Honestly, I have played a wizard (and a warlock with the right pact) in 5e and absolutely never used that capacity for that reason and because of the danger for the familiar.

 It's dangerous for offensive spells, but I've found it quite useful for casting spells on allies when likelihood of area attacks are low. Invisibility, Protection From Evil and Good, Fly, etc.

Quote from scatterbraind >>

Quote from Lyxen>>

Quote from dot113>>

Since a familiar needs to use their reaction to deliver a spell you cast, you can't really use the familiar to cast the spell in your turn unless the familiar is actually within touch range of the target, if I read it right.. Because a familiar has their own initiative, so in order to be near an enemy it needs to stop next to it. The reason I bring it up is because I've heard Owl is supposedly the best familiar because of the flyby attack, so it can't be hit. Normally this isn't possible though, since it needs to do that in its own turn. 

Yes. Honestly, I have played a wizard (and a warlock with the right pact) in 5e and absolutely never used that capacity for that reason and because of the danger for the familiar.

 

 It's dangerous for offensive spells, but I've found it quite useful for casting spells on allies when likelihood of area attacks are low. Invisibility, Protection From Evil and Good, Fly, etc.

yeah that seems like a pretty good way to use them :)

Quote from Lyxen >>

Quote from scatterbraind >>

Quote from Lyxen>>

Quote from dot113>>

Since a familiar needs to use their reaction to deliver a spell you cast, you can't really use the familiar to cast the spell in your turn unless the familiar is actually within touch range of the target, if I read it right.. Because a familiar has their own initiative, so in order to be near an enemy it needs to stop next to it. The reason I bring it up is because I've heard Owl is supposedly the best familiar because of the flyby attack, so it can't be hit. Normally this isn't possible though, since it needs to do that in its own turn. 

Yes. Honestly, I have played a wizard (and a warlock with the right pact) in 5e and absolutely never used that capacity for that reason and because of the danger for the familiar.

 

 It's dangerous for offensive spells, but I've found it quite useful for casting spells on allies when likelihood of area attacks are low. Invisibility, Protection From Evil and Good, Fly, etc.

 

Oh, I completely agree, when I meant "capacity" it was about touch attack spells (and honestly, there are not that many of them anyway), not utility. :)

 
Well, I did talk about enemies before so I was mostly thinking about that part just because I hadn't figured it out.

How would it work with for instance invisibility? Would the familiar be able to cast the spell on two adjacent allies? Considering the RAW rules of it being just a reaction and not in the familiars turn. Or if it's two targets (the spell), could it touch the ally and itself making both invisible? 

Yeah, thanks, just got a bit unsure since it was using its reaction for it. Then again, technically the original caster can do that "for free" so makes sense the familiar could as well in this case

You could also just simplify all of this at your table by just letting the familiar share your turn. There's already a wide spectrum of rules about companions:

Beast Master companions are "on your initiative," but ambiguous if that means on your turn. A controlled mount's initiative "matches yours when you mount it" and take actions on your turn as you direct, while an independent mount retains its own separate initiative. Artificer steel defenders "share your initiative count, but takes its turn immediately after yours." Many summon spells "share your initiative count, but take their turn immediately after yours." A Hexblade's Specter rolls its own initiative and has its own turns, as does a Shadow Sorcerer's Hound of Ill Omen. A Creation Bard's animated objects share your initiative, but take their turn immediately after. 

It seems like the modern rules prefer "on your initiative but immediately after" or "roll their own own initiative," with only controlled mounts (and arguably Beast Master companions) truly sharing "your" turn. But, if the bookkeeping of a seperate familiar turn is annoying you and your DM, I think it would be a relatively minor and innocent houserule to let you just consolidate it with your own turn, and making spellcasting less finicky would be one welcome side effect. 

I often roll a separate initiative for my familiars even if the DM has it do our turn.. I just use it to determine if the character if the familiar goes first.