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I'm planning to roll an Eldritch Knight Fighter 6/Tempest Domain Cleric 14.

I can get shocking grasp and find familiar from EK fighter at lvl 3. I also know that my Familiar can use Shocking Grasp on its turn if it contacts an enemy (using my spell modifier for the attack of course).

When doing this, does Thunderbolt Strike from the Tempest Domain also come into play? That's my overall goal, honestly. The PHB reads that it activates when you deal lighting damage to a target.

Rubiksmoose
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MichaelAndJello
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1 Answers1

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To start with, your familiar can't use Shocking Grasp. Find Familiar says:

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.

So you use Shocking Grasp, and your familiar merely delivers it. This all happens on your turn, too, not your familiar's turn.

However, this is a good thing for you, because Thunderbolt Strike says that:

At 6th level, when you deal lightning damage to a Large or smaller creature, you can also push it up to 10 feet away from you.

So the fact that you cast Shocking Grasp, and you damaged a creature, means that you can indeed use Thunderbolt Strike to push it away from you.

Note that that's away from you, not away from your familiar: Your familiar delivers the spell, but you still cast it, and you dealt the damage. If that wasn't the case, you wouldn't be able to use Thunderbolt Strike at all.

Miniman
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    How does the "away from you, not away from your familiar" thing interact with the "as if it had cast the spell" bit? – GMJoe Jun 28 '16 at 07:11
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    @GMJoe You left a bit out of that sentence. It's "your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell." It delivers the spell as if it had cast it, it doesn't do anything else as if it had cast it. – Miniman Jun 28 '16 at 07:15
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    Yes, I did leave out that bit. But wouldn't the familiar delivering the spell as if it had cast it mean that any effects that rely on caster position would use the familiar's position? – GMJoe Jun 28 '16 at 07:18
  • Why would it mean that? – Miniman Jun 28 '16 at 07:20
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    Because the delivery of a spell, much like a speech, depends on the person delivering it. – GMJoe Jun 28 '16 at 08:01
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    I agree you can use Thunderbolt Strike. I agree with GM Joe, that the intent would be to push away from the familiar, not away from the caster. As the source of the spell is the familiar and the effects would be "as if the familiar cast it" so all the "you"s in the spell would refer to the familiar. – J. A. Streich Jun 28 '16 at 21:09
  • @J.A.Streich The familiar isn't the source of the spell, it merely delivers it. The caster is the source of the spell. If the familiar was the source of the spell, it would be impossible to use Thunderbolt Strike. – Miniman Jun 28 '16 at 23:47
  • @Miniman I agree with your ruling! I think my DM is deciding that since it's not a Cleric spell that it isn't allowed. House Rules :p Thank you guys! I'll probably play it your way when I DM at home. – MichaelAndJello Jun 29 '16 at 00:46
  • @MichaelAndJello Happy to help! Sorry your DM is placing arbitrary restrictions on you :( – Miniman Jun 29 '16 at 00:50