D&D 5E Vecna's Dread Counterspell vs. Counterspell -- What's the Diff?

[LizardWizard00]

Because you don't see verbal components, you hear them. Which means you can't see the caster casting the spell, you hear the caster casting the spell, even when you can see the caster.

I can see someone speaking even if I can't hear them.

 

[Peter BOSCO'S]

Why should we follow this house rule?

Never mind, I was wrong for "Shield" because it is triggered by being hit not by being attacked. Similarly I was also wrong for "Silvery Barbs" because it is triggered by a success and not by an attempt. Sorry.

 

[Maxperson]

Never mind, I was wrong for "Shield" because it is triggered by being hit not by being attacked. Similarly I was also wrong for "Silvery Barbs" because it is triggered by a success and not by an attempt. Sorry.

No worries!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The answer is: it's up to the DM. Monster stats are DM fiat, and they can change any that don't suit their vision.

Personally, I would go with Vecna always magically knows what spells are being cast, for two reasons:

1) It suits the character.

2) It makes the fight appropriately more challenging.


Now, if I was using the same stat block to represent some lesser archlich, I might decide to weaken them.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Because the wording is "Vecna utters a dread word to interrupt a creature he can see that is casting a spell". That doesn't really work out if he counters after the spell goes off, unless he's breaking the laws of causality, which I guess would be cool, but I wouldn't call it the raw or how it's intended. That he needs to react and say a word means that he can't do it if he's unaware of the casting, imo.

It is not an issue of what is reasonably possible, anything is really for Vecna. The issue is that by RAW, he only needs to the caster, he doesn’t need to see the casting. There is no knowledge requirement as part of the reaction.

 

[ECMO3]

I can see someone speaking even if I can't hear them.

Generally speaking there is debate as to whether "sound" even exists if no one can hear it. The old philosophical question - "If a tree falls in the forrest and non one hears it, did it make any noise?"

Sound is caused by changes in pressure at a frequency, but if no one is there to hear it, or they can't hear it, is it really sound?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

If a tree falls in the forrest and non one hears it, did it make any noise?"

I set up a recording device in the forest, and play it back through an oscilloscope. Now I see the sound of the tree falling without hearing it.

 

[Bill Zebub]

As an aside, I was playing Solasta last night and had successfully blinded an enemy spellcaster. He counterspelled me anyway.

 

[LizardWizard00]

Generally speaking there is debate as to whether "sound" even exists if no one can hear it. The old philosophical question - "If a tree falls in the forrest and non one hears it, did it make any noise?"

Sound is caused by changes in pressure at a frequency, but if no one is there to hear it, or they can't hear it, is it really sound?

Not really following what that has to do with see/hearing verbal components. This is a game, not a philosophical discussion.

 

[Bill Zebub]

How does Paul the Fighter 2 know they need to Action Surge?

Because he knows how many hit points an orc has, and he knows the initiative order, and figures it’s important to drop the orc before it drops the cleric, who is ready to Healing Word the unconscious rogue.

Duh.