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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Saeviomagy" data-source="post: 2207655" data-attributes="member: 5890">I made a counterspeller. Improved init, improved counterspell and reactive counterspell.Using the base rules in the original game, counterspelling is so totally worthless it's a joke.First - You're using your action to MAYBE be able to fling a spell at someone that will MAYBE stop their spell. Since it's made clear in the DMG that readying actions is fairly obvious, it makes it a simple tactic for any opposing mage to simply not cast spells, and instead save his blastyness for later.Second - counterspelling only works against foes that ACTUALLY CAST SPELLS. Given the normal distribution of foes, that means that  very few of your foes will be susceptible to counterspelling. Most will throw SLA's or SU abilities at you, duplicating the effect of being a spellcaster without ever opening themselves up to counterspells.Third - even with improved counterspell, you need to design your daily spell loadout around counterspelling. You have to have high level spells of the appropriate schools memorised or on your spell list. This isn't always feasable, and it is always a drain on resources - you've put down spells that you don't intend to actually use, merely hold for counterspells.Fourth - Your foe will have more resources than you. You will typically be facing a foe with a higher caster level. That means he has access to more powerful spells than you can counterspell, and dispel magic is less than a 50/50 shot. Additionally, given the standard model for D&D encounters/day and the general layout of the average D&D plot (ie - the BBEG does nothing but wait for the PC's to show up to kill him) you will typically face a mage when he is fresh and you are depleted. So you're going into a fight where the rules are that you have to match what he throws at you 1 for 1 or WORSE (if you use improved counterspell), and you have less resources to start out with. You are going to lose.Fifth - just hitting the guy does a much better job. If, instead of readying a counterspell you cast magic missile, not only do you disrupt his spell, but you also help kill him.Sixth - silent, still spells get through automatically and there's nothing you can do about it.WITH reactive counterspell, you're still probably in the same boat - you are still trying to match a foe 1 for 1 when he has superior resources. You still need to design your daily spell loadout to cope. You will still find out that most of your foes do not allow use of your feat. You would still be better off just hitting him when casts. He still slips silent and still spells past your radar. The only actual saving you've made is that you're no longer wasting actions if he doesn't cast, or casts something you cannot counter.To make counterspelling a viable tactic, one or more of the following need to be considered1. A feat to allow countering of an SLA. (Su) are sufficiently different and uncommon that I think we can leave those.2. A feat to allow spellcraft checks to identify silent, still spells in time for countering - require the use of detect magic or arcane sight to do it, but still.3. Improve the counterspelling aspect of dispel magic.4. A way to allow a countering spell to still have some of it's original effect (greatly diminished, but still not "the mages concentrate and, spectacularly, nothing happens")5. A way to allow a countered spell to still have some of it's original effect (greatly diminished, but still not "the mages concentrate and, spectacularly, nothing happens")I think that covers it.Oh, and shadowrun counterspelling is always present in battles between mages. It always makes a difference. It's always a tactical play. How? It's a free action to do, it requires no special knowledge of your foe or the spell he is casting, it's not always 100% effective, but usually makes a difference, and it costs almost no resources. In short, it's almost everything that D&D counterspelling isn't.</blockquote>

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