this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2025
3 points (100.0% liked)

D&D Next - 5e Discussion

2477 readers
2 users here now

A place to discuss the latest version of Dungeons & Dragons, the fifth edition, known during the playtest as D&D Next.

Join our discord! https://discord.gg/dndnext

-- Rules --

  1. Be Civil. Unacceptable behavior includes name calling, taunting, baiting, flaming, etc. Please respect the opinions of people who play differently than you do.
  2. Use Clear, Concise Titles.
  3. Limit Self-Promotional Links. External links to blogs, kickstarters, storefronts, YouTube channels, etc, must be related to DnD and posted no more than once every 14 days. Affiliate links are never allowed.

This is a new community and the rules are in flux. Please bear with us (and give your feedback!) as we navigate building this new community. Thank you!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I've been thinking on some changes for counterspell, for dnd and any other rpg that has counterspell.

My thought is moving counterspell from a spell into a game mechanic.

If a creature casts a spell that you also have the ability to cast that day, you can expend an appropriate spell slot to unravel their spell and counter it.

So just about anyone can counterspell but does limit it to creature that have spell slots. It makes casters think more about encounters that might come up that day and also push them to choose more obscure spells that are less likely to be countered.

Any thoughts? Arguments for or against? Other ideas you've tried?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Thats pretty similar to what 3e (and iirc older) counterspell did. You had to cast the same spell in reverse to counter a spell. So to counter spell a fireball, you had to have a fireball prepared and "counterspell cast" your fireball. That said, there was some action economy problems in 3e that made it not worth it (you had to use an action to 'ready' a counterspell on a specific target, when the target cast a spell, you had to roll to identify the spell, and if they cast a spell you didnt know or have prepared, you were out of luck)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Damn is that how it worked? I don't remember any of that, but it was a long time ago now.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 20 hours ago

well, to be fair, almost no one used counterspells back then because of the many failure points, clunkiness, and the high chance of it being a complete waste of your turn. Better to just cast your own fireball first.