D&D (2024) Is Counterspell less frustrating now?

[Clint_L]

From the powergamer perspective, counterspell is great. If a few people in the party have it and use it every round, you can just stop the DM from ever using casters. For anyone who thinks it's just fine, just watch the climactic final battle of the first season of Critical Role.

I feel like people who think it's fine either don't face enemies with spellcasting that often, so i doesn't get used much, or they purposefully hold off on using to shut down enemies in order to play nice with the DM.

That battle is one of the reasons that I think counterspell is fantastic! I don't know if you are remembering it accurately:

Spoiler: Spoiler for Critical Role Season 1

Vecna pushes the party right to the edge, and when they finally win, it is not because of counterspell; it is because all of them contribute and wear him down; if anything, Pike Trickfoot's mass heal turns the battle. Counterspell, cast at level 9, stops Vecna from escaping, not winning, and there is a monumental cost to using it: it consumes the spell slot that was being set aside for a wish needed to save Vax'ildan, so casting that counterspell doomed a character.

I feel like people who think it is a problem maybe tend to put too many eggs in one basket. It's one of my favourite spells in the game, and I'm normally the DM. I love it when players take counterspell.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

I think it's self-evident. You're just saying "NUH UH" to spells. That's not interesting or engaging. The smarter your players are, the more specifically they'll target it to powerful or interesting spells (and vice-versa with DMs who are targeting PCs). It doesn't add depth or anything it just results in rounds where nothing happens for a caster. And the only people who can do it are other casters.

So... you don't like anything that negates anything? That is what Dispel Magic, Shield, and Silence does.

I LOVE Abjuration magic (my favorite theme) and Counterspell actually provides a spell-battle option for casters, which I love. Now there is always a roll for success. I like this Counterspell better than any version that came before.

 

[Storyteller Hero]

A possible narrative reason why Constitution makes sense would be that Counterspell works by disrupting the physical flow of magical energy in the target's body as they're gathering that energy to cast the spell.

 

[Charlaquin]

As you don't lose the Counterspell spell slot if it fails to do anything... this means that the usual 'I counterspell the counterspell that is about to counterspell a counterspell' dance can now repeat even more often.

Huh? No, you have to spend the spell slot to cast counterspell. It’s the caster of the spell you’re countering who doesn’t lose their spell slot if they succeed their save.

 

[Asisreo]

It makes spellcaster PC vs spellcaster NPC fights much more dangerous and exciting. Now, you actually can't relax when a Lich is on the battlefield just because you have two counterspell casters (even though the Lich should have Globe of Invulnerability anyways).

 

[Remathilis]

I wouldn't worry about it. Power gamers will down vote this because they can't Roflstomp spellcasters and it won't reach 70% and they will return to the 2014 version.

Honestly, I can think of very few spell changes previewed so far that has stuck. Hex and EB are back to 2014, find familiar is back 2014, at best the smite spells (minus divine smite) will lose concentration and that's about it.

 

[Mistwell]

I feel like this is way more frustrating for the people the ability is for: players. congratulations, it's harder to pull off and just delays the spell instead of stopping it.

DMs though... hey, you can just bypass the players with a Legendary Cheat The Players and keep rolling out them rails.

No reason to take it for a player.

Honest question...do you even like the game anymore?

 

[Shiroiken]

I think the new saving throw requirement is a good addition to the spell. However, since it now specifically targets spells that use V, S, or M components, it's become a much less useful spell for players. Most monsters cast spells without components, so those spells will be uncounterable. Most of the "spells" used by NPCs are not spells at all, and are thus uncounterable. This reduces the potential use to other PCs and NPC utility spells, which seems rather pointless.

 

[Clint_L]

Anyhow, I hate this change. It's a huge nerf to counterspell, and I like counterspell the way it is, an automatic success against low level spells and a gamble against high level spells, unless you want to spend a high level spell slot yourself. This is one that I will be downvoting and commenting on.

 

[Scribe]

I think the new saving throw requirement is a good addition to the spell. However, since it now specifically targets spells that use V, S, or M components, it's become a much less useful spell for players. Most monsters cast spells without components, so those spells will be uncounterable. Most of the "spells" used by NPCs are not spells at all, and are thus uncounterable. This reduces the potential use to other PCs and NPC utility spells, which seems rather pointless.

This is my feedback. Its magic, are you 'unbinding' the magic or are we interrupting the caster? It seems FAR more appropriate to me to be able to counter the magic if its a spell, regardless of if its being cast innate, or VSM.

(Not applicable to Psionic.)