best way to counterspell? [Archive] - Wizards Community

best way to counterspell? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Suppoko
03-30-06, 11:35 PM Ok I am looking for the best way to counterspell? Here is the deal I have 9 feats to play with and I am looking to find the best way to stop the casting of spells from the opponents. I am allowed the core books and pretty much every other book with approval including the ultimate feats and that orange feat book. Any ideas? please help
runestar
03-31-06, 12:54 AM Just ready yourself to pelt them with damage spells metamagicked up the whazoo the moment they start flexing their fingers... ;)
ck2001wendt
03-31-06, 01:14 AM Runestar is not incorrect. Probably the best way to counterspell is to get a high initiative and then force them into an insane Concentration check.

Traditional counterspelling is probably best accomploished by a Favored Soul/Church Inquisitor (CI grants +4 to Dispel Magic checks at 1st, which will be very useful).

A Psion would make a great counter-speller using this method, because they have Synchronicity (which works a lot like reactive counterspell) and a good group of No Save/No SR spells to force checks (Crystal Shard and Concussion Blast probably work best). They can also Ego-Whip, which can shut down a Cha-caster right quick (don't have to drop him to 0 Cha...just to 10 and you shut off their casting).
Leewei
03-31-06, 01:24 AM I like readying a Smokestick. If they're casting a targeted spell, use the smokestick to break their line of sight. No line of sight means the spell fails when their action is resolved.

For area spells, ready an action to Move when they start casting. If you're near enough to the caster, ready a Partial Charge. If not, move somewhere of strategic importance with some protection from their spell.
filwinn
03-31-06, 03:11 AM ok this is probably less effective than what was proposed before, but you can also try a human sorcerer

1. heigthen spell, accelerate metamagic (heighten)
3. improved counterspell
6. reactive counterspell

just heighten a cantrip from the appropriate school to the appropriate level and counterspell.
PhoenixInferno
03-31-06, 03:20 AM A non-traditional approach - use Jordain Vizier (Shining South). You have SR and you can use it to actively (instead of passively) counter magic at Jordain Vizier 3, although there are limitations and weaknesses.
TWG_Prometheus
03-31-06, 09:33 AM This thread to me is a great example of how badly counterspelling is broken in D&D. Someone asks how to counterspell well, and we get one to two suggestions regarding how to do it with an actual counterspell, and a plethora of ideas of how to do it without spells at all. Even one of the traditional approaches uses a Clerical domain to assist the effort, making Clerics (once again) the best choice for a tactic I consider to be primarily Arcane based, and another that for some reason involves the use of Metamagic with a Sorcerer. (Full-round actions to metamagic make for bad counterspelling. Also, it would use up a spell of the level you heighten it to anyway, why Heighten a cantrip?)

The best traditional solution I've found in arcane methodologies is the use of Duelward(SpC), to give you a counterspell as an immediate action. There's a Faerun campaign feat of Reactive Counterspell as well, but I've never liked the functional aspects of how that thing works. With Duelward, you blow off a lot of arcane energy (the 4th level duelward and the spell you use to counterspell with) but the mechanics actually work, and it doesn't tie down your turn with readying an action or somesuch.

A feat that gave a caster level bonus on dispel checks would go a long way toward helping devoted counterspellers out. That, and a rules update.
ChrisAsmadi
03-31-06, 10:02 AM The sorcerer has the feat Accelerate Metamagic(Heighten), so it costs him a standard action to counterspell. You heighten cantrips because, well, it means you don't have to have a spell of every school at every level, and instead are limited only in cantrip selection.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Suppoko 03-30-06, 11:35 PM	Ok I am looking for the best way to counterspell? Here is the deal I have 9 feats to play with and I am looking to find the best way to stop the casting of spells from the opponents. I am allowed the core books and pretty much every other book with approval including the ultimate feats and that orange feat book. Any ideas? please help
runestar 03-31-06, 12:54 AM	Just ready yourself to pelt them with damage spells metamagicked up the whazoo the moment they start flexing their fingers... ;)
ck2001wendt 03-31-06, 01:14 AM	Runestar is not incorrect. Probably the best way to counterspell is to get a high initiative and then force them into an insane Concentration check. Traditional counterspelling is probably best accomploished by a Favored Soul/Church Inquisitor (CI grants +4 to Dispel Magic checks at 1st, which will be very useful). A Psion would make a great counter-speller using this method, because they have Synchronicity (which works a lot like reactive counterspell) and a good group of No Save/No SR spells to force checks (Crystal Shard and Concussion Blast probably work best). They can also Ego-Whip, which can shut down a Cha-caster right quick (don't have to drop him to 0 Cha...just to 10 and you shut off their casting).
Leewei 03-31-06, 01:24 AM	I like readying a Smokestick. If they're casting a targeted spell, use the smokestick to break their line of sight. No line of sight means the spell fails when their action is resolved. For area spells, ready an action to Move when they start casting. If you're near enough to the caster, ready a Partial Charge. If not, move somewhere of strategic importance with some protection from their spell.
filwinn 03-31-06, 03:11 AM	ok this is probably less effective than what was proposed before, but you can also try a human sorcerer 1. heigthen spell, accelerate metamagic (heighten) 3. improved counterspell 6. reactive counterspell just heighten a cantrip from the appropriate school to the appropriate level and counterspell.
PhoenixInferno 03-31-06, 03:20 AM	A non-traditional approach - use Jordain Vizier (Shining South). You have SR and you can use it to actively (instead of passively) counter magic at Jordain Vizier 3, although there are limitations and weaknesses.
TWG_Prometheus 03-31-06, 09:33 AM	This thread to me is a great example of how badly counterspelling is broken in D&D. Someone asks how to counterspell well, and we get one to two suggestions regarding how to do it with an actual counterspell, and a plethora of ideas of how to do it without spells at all. Even one of the traditional approaches uses a Clerical domain to assist the effort, making Clerics (once again) the best choice for a tactic I consider to be primarily Arcane based, and another that for some reason involves the use of Metamagic with a Sorcerer. (Full-round actions to metamagic make for bad counterspelling. Also, it would use up a spell of the level you heighten it to anyway, why Heighten a cantrip?) The best traditional solution I've found in arcane methodologies is the use of Duelward(SpC), to give you a counterspell as an immediate action. There's a Faerun campaign feat of Reactive Counterspell as well, but I've never liked the functional aspects of how that thing works. With Duelward, you blow off a lot of arcane energy (the 4th level duelward and the spell you use to counterspell with) but the mechanics actually work, and it doesn't tie down your turn with readying an action or somesuch. A feat that gave a caster level bonus on dispel checks would go a long way toward helping devoted counterspellers out. That, and a rules update.
ChrisAsmadi 03-31-06, 10:02 AM	The sorcerer has the feat Accelerate Metamagic(Heighten), so it costs him a standard action to counterspell. You heighten cantrips because, well, it means you don't have to have a spell of every school at every level, and instead are limited only in cantrip selection.