so im playing a variant human with magic initiate - find familiar. if i pick an owl and have it perch on my shoulder could i walk through a dark dungeon spending every turn to see through its eyes instead of mine essentially giving me 120ft darkvision the hole time(obviously not wile in combat, just wile exploring)
Rules as Written you can do it. I think it’s a great way to use your familiar. Just be warned that when you’re doing that you can’t take any actions, so your first round or two of combat will be getting a light source.
The effect could be no different to using a periscope but with the periscope, in some way, continually requiring actions to keep it in operation. "you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses" but that's all. You'd still have full senses of feeling and could be just about as sure-footed as a wizard performing actions might be.
so im playing a variant human with magic initiate - find familiar. if i pick an owl and have it perch on my shoulder could i walk through a dark dungeon spending every turn to see through its eyes instead of mine essentially giving me 120ft darkvision the hole time(obviously not wile in combat, just wile exploring)
Yes you can, even in combat. Doing so last until the start of your next turn
Find Familiar: as an action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has.
Honestly, I agree that it is up to your DM for allowing that. But in terms of the actual spell, you can't really get cheaty with the spell. And Darkvision isn't a bad things to use the spell to acquire. I think it would be more functional if you used your familiar and had it perched on your head or shoulder. Then you would only have your vision displaced by a small margin.
However, I think one thing to bear in mind is the command you give the creature. If you command it to sit on your shoulder, then the DM may decide that the owl is often distracted by small animals it would be prone to hunt. Therefore it would look around a lot and you may not have the ability to walk in a straight line because of it. And if you command it to perch while looking ahead, I think you would be more prone to being unawares of your side and what is behind you.
But then combat would be extremely hard for the first turn or two, since it would take almost 3 turns. 1-dismiss sight from familiar, 2 - gain light source (Then proceed as normal), 3 - give your familiar some other command (Typically a BA but your DM may punish you by making it an action for gaining Darkvision).
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so im playing a variant human with magic initiate - find familiar. if i pick an owl and have it perch on my shoulder could i walk through a dark dungeon spending every turn to see through its eyes instead of mine essentially giving me 120ft darkvision the hole time(obviously not wile in combat, just wile exploring)
I don't believe RAW indicates anything that would dispute that, but, as always, clear it with your DM.
In character though, I would think it would be pretty disorienting if it is not a practiced maneuver that they have used before.
Not sure how well you can move your body wile seeing through a familiar.
Rules as Written you can do it. I think it’s a great way to use your familiar. Just be warned that when you’re doing that you can’t take any actions, so your first round or two of combat will be getting a light source.
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The effect could be no different to using a periscope but with the periscope, in some way, continually requiring actions to keep it in operation. "you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses" but that's all. You'd still have full senses of feeling and could be just about as sure-footed as a wizard performing actions might be.
Yes you can, even in combat. Doing so last until the start of your next turn
Honestly, I agree that it is up to your DM for allowing that. But in terms of the actual spell, you can't really get cheaty with the spell. And Darkvision isn't a bad things to use the spell to acquire. I think it would be more functional if you used your familiar and had it perched on your head or shoulder. Then you would only have your vision displaced by a small margin.
However, I think one thing to bear in mind is the command you give the creature. If you command it to sit on your shoulder, then the DM may decide that the owl is often distracted by small animals it would be prone to hunt. Therefore it would look around a lot and you may not have the ability to walk in a straight line because of it. And if you command it to perch while looking ahead, I think you would be more prone to being unawares of your side and what is behind you.
But then combat would be extremely hard for the first turn or two, since it would take almost 3 turns. 1-dismiss sight from familiar, 2 - gain light source (Then proceed as normal), 3 - give your familiar some other command (Typically a BA but your DM may punish you by making it an action for gaining Darkvision).