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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AntiStateQuixote" data-source="post: 2207914" data-attributes="member: 30770">What do mean you don't counterspell?This blows me away . . . more than 7 of 10 have NEVER seen it used?Let me lay it out for you . . . My primary PC is a dwarven fighter/mage.  10th level character, 9th level caster.  I haven't even specialized in counterspelling.  In fact, I've taken no feats related to counterspelling.  My character acts as a primary front-line fighter . . . draconic polymorph + haste + blur equals awesome front-liner. Anyway, I have used dispel magic as a counterspell (failed some, succeeded more often than not) on several occassions, and I've used fireball, haste, and dispel magic to counter those specific spells. How can you not like this?  Group of four PCs faces off against an appropriate level challenge . . . that's either a single critter of the same or slightly higher level or several critters of lower level.  If the opponent is a single spell caster (even if it's higher level) then that caster is FINISHED.  One or two of the PCs ready counterspell actions while the others pound the crap out of him.  That single caster can't get a spell off because one of the freaking PCs counterspells him.  Maybe it's not successful everytime, but even if it's half the time it's probably worth it.  If you're fighting a large group of opponents then it's even MORE likely that at least one of them is a caster AND s/he's probably lower level than your PC.  Now when you counterspell with dispel magic you have more than 50% chance of success.  Granted, you're not killing anything with your counterspell action, and you're not in the glamorous role of field cannon, but saving the party from a 8d6 fireball to EACH PC is probably worth a hell of lot more than doing the same damage to an opponent (or group of opponents).  How about stopping the 8th level wizard from casting HASTE on EIGHT of his 5th level fighter friends?  That's pretty damn useful.  Is that a vampire wizard about to cast baleful polymorph on the rogue?  Good thing the druid readied an action to counterspell . . . that lone vampire wasted his action this turn because the druid has baleful polymorph memorized. OK, so it's very situational.  I would not recommend making a character based on counterspelling, but to say you've NEVER seen it used?  That's amazing!  Preventing the BBEG from casting a SINGLE devasting spell is so worth it.  I would "waste" EVERY round of combat readying a counterspell if I thought that the BBEG caster would choose not to cast because he saw me ready the counterspell action. Try it sometime. Let me offer some more examples:1) Is it better to haste your own party of four or five PCs OR counter the BBEG's haste on 8 or 10 or 12 (whatever his caster-level or number of buddies is) bad guys?  I would suggest that using haste to counter the BBEG's haste is more valuable than casting it on your own group if the BBEG has at least two more people to apply it to than you do. 2) Is it better to hit the lone BBEG caster with fireball for 9d6 hp of damage or use your own fireball to counter his 10d6 fireball that was going to hit two or three of the PCs?  I think this one's a no-brainer. 3) Would you rather use disintegrate to MAYBE kill the BBEG or use it to counter his own use of disintegrate and GUARANTEE that the rogue, or the cleric or whoever (maybe yourself) did not die from it?  Again, no-brainer, in my opinion. Counterspelling is very situational.  It doesn't always succeed. Spell casting is ALSO very situational, and if your spell allows a saving throw or spell resistance, it doesn't always succeed either.</blockquote>

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