Counterpoint: counterspell is overpowered and leads to boring game-play. Often the best tactical option is to just counterspell everything; it's an easy decision to make, and by eliminating enemy spells before they happen, counterspell also eliminates future interesting decisions. So maybe taking a hard line on spell identification and spell level identification would balance counterspell better and make casting it more of a gamble.
It's not overpowered. Stopping an enemy from casting fireball isn't more powerful than fireball. Which is better is situational. If you're seeing players burn all their slots on counterspell, that's great! they're using huge swathes of their power and versatility stopping the enemy from doing things they could survive and then respond to with powerful magic.
Regarding 5e counterspell:
I haven't read Xanathar's Guide well enough to know what they say there but I do the following:
-A spell gets cast
-Player declares his reaction to counter-spell
-I allow them an arcana check to discover what spell is being cast. Difficulty depends on whether it's subtle or has components (components makes it easier to identify) or has a focus etc...
-If they succeed, I tell them which spell is being cast and they can use an appropriate slot, if they wish
-If they fail, they just have to guess.
-Resolve counterspell as normal
I just make it all part of the same reaction instead of '2' reactions. Also, on a side note, is there a place (other than Xanathar's) that says making skill checks in combat is a reaction or an action?
My impression was that Xanathar's Guide has a whole bunch of 'optional' rules.
I'm just curious.
It's absolutely an optional rule, yeah. There are no rules anywhere else about whether or not seeing something happen in front of you requires a reaction, but since you don't need to use your reaction to see that a spell is being cast, I can't imagine why you'd need to in order to recognize it. You either recognize it or your don't.
I do allow casters to try and obfuscate what they're casting,though. I don't really care about arguments that it steps on the sorcerer's toes. Subtle Spell isn't the singular core feature of the sorcerer. Also, martial characters can trip eachother without being Battle Masters. Class features let them do it better, in both cases.
Hey Taran,
That's the only place I've seen these rules... But casting Counterspell uses your whole reaction time, so you don't have any time left to do anything else.
And trying to deduce what is coming at you once you're witnessed all the V/S/M components coming from the castor should take some time shouldn't it? At least as long as every other reaction in the game?
Why would it take time? How would it take time? It's either going to be part of recognizing that spells are being cast, not happen within the timeframe of an action.
I have time to see the creatures around me moving, and take opportunity attacks, but somehow seeing the wizard draw the sigil that finishes the fireball spell while holding a tiny ball in his hand takes too much time?
Nah.
Yeah, maybe. I just see it as innate knowledge.
You can describe it as, "You see him start to cast a spell"
Or you can describe it as, "you see him pull out rose pedals as he casts a spell"
With the latter description, you Immediately say, "I'd better counterspell his Sleep spell!" Because the recognition is instantaneous and, in fact, part of recognizing that he's casting a spell.
You know? You see him casting a spell and you either know what it is or you don't. Having that knowledge doesn't take time. To me the arcana check is just to see if you recognize it immediately or not. I don't see it as you analyzing exactly what the spell caster is doing. Which is why I make it harder to do if they use a focus or easier if there's a somatic or almost impossible if they use subtle spell. I'll read up Xanathar's.
I might make the DCs easier if you use your reaction or, even easier, if you spend your whole action watching.
I agree with all of this.
I also give Advantage or Disadvantage on the check (Arcana, Religion, or Nature, depending on the type of caster, or Investigation) depending on whether it's a spell they have seen in game before, one they're researching, one they know, etc.
If it's a spell they cast all the time, I just tell them what spell it is unless I want to emphasize that the caster is working from a very different tradition than the player character.
