[RPG] Using a familiar to deliver a touch attack with the Ready action

dnd-5efamiliarsreadied-actionspellstouch-attacks

The last paragraph of the Find Familiar spell contains the following:

…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.

Since the attack functions as a reaction for the familiar, it must already be within touch range of the target to deliver the spell, correct?

If a target is 30ft away, could a wizard ready a Shocking Grasp spell for "when my familiar is within touch range of that bugbear", allowing his owl to fly over, deliver the spell attack, and then fly away on its turn?

I assume his owl could not ready an action to fly to a goblin and back triggered upon "the wizard casts shocking grasp" since both would require a reaction, correct?

Best Answer

I don't see why this wouldn't work, as nothing prevents you from taking a reaction on your turn.

Thus, the following sequence is valid:

  1. The wizard uses their action to Ready the shocking grasp spell, which the familiar will deliver.
  2. The familiar uses part of its movement to move within touch range of the target.
  3. The familiar uses its reaction to deliver the wizard's shocking grasp spell. (The wizard also uses their reaction to use their readied action.)
  4. The familiar uses its action to do something.
  5. The familiar completes its movement.

The only catch here is that the wizard's reaction is consumed, and they have to maintain concentration until that time.

But yes, the familiar cannot use a readied move if the wizard wants to use the familiar to deliver a touch-range spell, as both would need to use the familiar's reaction, and the familiar can only take one reaction.