Counterspelling. How often do you use it in your campaign?

[Kaelynna]

Just curious...

How often you use Counterspelling in your campaign (if at all)?

So far, we've never been in an opportunity to use it. For some reason, the DMs that I've played with do not use enemy arcane spellcasters. Most just use monsters in the monster manual.

I was considering getting improved and reactive counterspell feats (FRCS and Magic of Faerun, respectively) for my character, but if counterspelling is rarely used, then I say why bother?

Thanks!

- Kae.

 

[dagger]

We have been playing 3rd for over a year and it has not come up yet.

 

[MythandLore]

If it looks like there is an enemy caster, all the time.

 

[Psion]

I have seen it used once.

I could see it used more if the situation was right (e.g., that spell must be stopped) or if I made villains whose sole purpose in life was to trip the PC spellcasters up. But left to its own devices, I don't see it a whole lot.

 

[graydoom]

In one word... Never. 99% of the time, it is a better idea to just hit the enemy with something instead of waiting and hoping that he not only casts a spell, but casts a spell that you know and/or have ready.
It just takes too much effort to make it of any use, and even then it still isn't much use.

 

[Xalmo]

I've only seen counterspelling used once, when one of the sorcerers in our party counterspelled a Haste spell being cast by a Monk/Wizard. Due to the protection the Monk/Wizard had up, there was little the sorcerer could do, so he sat around with a readied action to counterspell. I don't think the counterspelling would have happened otherwise.

 

[Gilrion]

Counterspelling is good if you meet a lot of enemy casters. Reactive Counterspelling helps so you can do other things than wait for a spell to be cast (that can be frustrating sometimes). You can't do it if you're flat-footed, though, so you're not going to save yourself from that Disintegrate the hidden wizard cast. Still, it has its uses... Effectiveness just depends on the amount of enemy spellcasters you meet.

 

[Dundragon]

Counterspelling can get nasty if you want it to. If you are fighting clerics (usually only if they have the Reactive Counterspell feat - it's in Magic of Faerun) they can almost always counter your healing spells. Not to mention that if two wizards are fighting side by side with some melee backup, a good idea for one of them would be to caste spells, while the other counterspells. FRCS has a feat called Improved Counterspell, which enables casters to counter spells with any spell of the same school that is higher in level than the spell being cast.

 

[Pielorinho]

Never used it myself. As someone else said, it's almost always better to whack the sorcerer with offensive magic than to hope you'll have an appropriate counterspell.

Consider, for example, a sixth-level wizard going up against a sixth-level wizard. Your opponent might fireball you, and you could ready an action to counterspell with your own fireball.

Or, you could ready an action to fireball the wizard when she starts to cast. This approach has several advantages:
1) Whatever the wizard casts, you've got a witty reply to it. With counterspell, if the wizard casts Simba's Original Freaking Dweomer, you're left slackjawed and useless.
2) Your witty reply might kill the wizard instead of just negating her action. With counterspell, your best result is a negation of her action.
3) Even if your witty reply doesn't kill the wizard, you give her a nasty concentration check to make.

I could imagine a few circumstances under which it'd be a great option. Can you counterspell spell-like effects? If so, when you're going to fight a beholder, it might be wise to have the spells disintegrate, charm monster, and stone to flesh prepared. Hmm -- although when you think about it, instead of preparing disintegrate, you could prepare antimagic field, and have a much easier time of beholderkilling.

I'm having real trouble thinking of occasions where counterspelling is wise.
Daniel

 

[StealthyMark]

If you can actually harm the enemy spellcaster(s), go on and hit him with readied actions.

But if you can't... its very wise to counterspell. And Improved Counterspell is just the icing on the cake. Good spells for counterspelling are Haste, of course (lets you cast a spell and ready a Counterspell), and Dispel Magic/Greater Dispelling.