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<blockquote data-quote="merwins" data-source="post: 7301209" data-attributes="member: 6829883">I'm probably missing something. I don't understand where anyone is getting the idea that you need to be able to identify the specific nature of a spell to cast Counterspell. Could someone point that out to me? In my PHB, it just says if you notice someone casting a spell, you can cast Counterspell to interrupt it with a reaction. You have NO IDEA what spell they're casting. While the first caster is trying to manipulate the Weave, the counterspeller twists the skeins away from them (figuratively). That's it. Xanathar's &quot;Identifying a Spell&quot; section is about identifying a spell as it is being cast. It also uses your reaction. If you're identifying a spell with your reaction, you CANNOT Counterspell it. Pick one or the other. You either want to know what the original caster is doing, or you want to stop it. You, as a single individual, can't have it both ways. If you have two magically savvy characters against the original character, one of them could identify (with a reaction) the spell being cast and quickly warn the second one, who could cast Counterspell (with a reaction). Counterspell was never &quot;random&quot;. It is an attempt to disrupt the casting of a spell being cast. The disruption is guaranteed if the spell is 3rd level or lower. I can't find where you're gifted with the knowledge of what the spell is. I think OB1 had it correctly way back in post #3.The actual &quot;gift&quot; you get with Counterspell is a free (and automatically successful) perception check, if the GM tells you that you &quot;see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="merwins, post: 7301209, member: 6829883"] I'm probably missing something. I don't understand where anyone is getting the idea that you need to be able to identify the specific nature of a spell to cast Counterspell. Could someone point that out to me? In my PHB, it just says if you notice someone casting a spell, you can cast Counterspell to interrupt it with a reaction. You have NO IDEA what spell they're casting. While the first caster is trying to manipulate the Weave, the counterspeller twists the skeins away from them (figuratively). That's it. Xanathar's "Identifying a Spell" section is about identifying a spell as it is being cast. It also uses your reaction. If you're identifying a spell with your reaction, you CANNOT Counterspell it. Pick one or the other. You either want to know what the original caster is doing, or you want to stop it. You, as a single individual, can't have it both ways. If you have two magically savvy characters against the original character, one of them could identify (with a reaction) the spell being cast and quickly warn the second one, who could cast Counterspell (with a reaction). Counterspell was never "random". It is an attempt to disrupt the casting of a spell being cast. The disruption is guaranteed if the spell is 3rd level or lower. I can't find where you're gifted with the knowledge of what the spell is. I think OB1 had it correctly way back in post #3. The actual "gift" you get with Counterspell is a free (and automatically successful) perception check, if the GM tells you that you "see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell." [/QUOTE]

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