[5e] Rakshasas cannot be counterspelled (mostly)? Is that how you would play it

[Satyrn]

And I mean, when the players try countering the rakshasha's spell, say this

the Rakshasa’s connections to the ‘weave’ is . . . so strong that trying to undo the spell would be like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a sandcastle.

And then to clue them into the fact that upcasting it will work, add "Your counterspell attempt is too weak."

 

[Dausuul]

The wording of counterspell seems to target the caster not the spell "You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell..."

I agree that this is the logical reading of how the spell is written.

However, I would be inclined to house rule that rakshasa spell immunity does not protect against counterspell. Rakshasas are enough of a nightmare for spellcasters without adding insult to injury.

How often are your PCs trying to counterspell things?

In scenarios where the PCs have access to counterspell and the enemy is throwing spells at them? Roughly 100%. If the same enemy were immune to pretty much every other possible tactic from the PC spellcaster, I would expect "roughly" to become "exactly."

 

[MechaTarrasque]

Looking at the Rak's spell list, it looks a lot more "good for sneaking around and brainwashing the king" then "zapping PC's." I see them as the "enjoy a good bug hunt" types, so the PC's will have to be pretty lucky to see one cast a spell.

 

[pemerton]

The Basic PDF (p 86) says "You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell" but then in the descrition of the effects of scaling up refers to "the interrupted spell".

I don't think 5e is written with the precision of wording to support impersonal/objective reasoning from text to target.

 

[Gadget]

I think this whole discussion goes to shows more about Counterspell and how key this new addition has become to the game then it does about Rakashasas.

 

[Autumn Bask]

Counterspell
Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell
Range: 60 feet

Given that the range is determined by the location of the caster, I've always interpreted Counterspell as targeting the caster. Not just sight-line, mind you. You could have 120ft Darkvision and a Wizard 70ft away could cast Fireball at you, and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it, except hope that you succeed your Dex Save or be grateful that you prepared Absorb Elements instead.