Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jayden 01-21-08, 06:54 PM	Can spells cast from staves be counterspelled in the normal way of counterspelling? I need to get page numbers from books that explain whether or not they can or cannot be counterspelled.
elonin 01-21-08, 07:16 PM	Yes.
Jayden 01-21-08, 07:23 PM	Thanks, but it doesn't really help me. The contestation is... The person who was counterspelled looked in the book and said that "if it doesn't say you can counterspell spells with a staff, then you can't counterspell staff spells." Something along those lines. I just need to get some clear definitions that suggest the staff can be cast. Thus, I would really like the page numbers if there is anything that defines this. Hell, it makes sense to me, but....
Jayden 01-21-08, 10:32 PM	Bump
kuonji 01-22-08, 06:20 AM	I'm inclined to say you cannot counterspell a spell from a staff, with one exception listed below. In order to counterspell you need 2 things to happen: have an action ready to counter and identify the spell being cast. In order to identify the spell you need to make a spellcraft check and must be able to see or hear the spells somatic or verbal components. A spell from a staff has only a command word, and the command word may or may not have anything to do with the actual spell cast. I couldn't find anything about identifying a spell being cast via spell trigger so I would say that you cannot complete 1/2 of the requirements needed for counterspelling (identification of the spell being cast). I would say, however, that you could use a dispel magic to counterspell a spell from a staff since using dispel magic as a counterspell does not require you to identify the spell being cast by the opposing spellcaster. The drawback is that dispel magic does not always work as a counterspell, but I suppose it's better than nothing.
Zarith 01-22-08, 07:25 AM	I would tend to agree with kuonji, however the FAQ states you can counterspell a magical trap. If you can counter a trap with a spell trigger, I would think you could counter a staff as well. From the FAQ - Can a spellcaster counterspell a magical trap? Yes, but only if 1) the magical trap duplicates a spell and 2) he has readied the counterspell action to do so. For example, a mere 1st-level wizard could counterspell one of the burning hands traps detailed in the DMG, as long as she had readied a counterspell action to do so. However, even a 20th-level wizard couldn’t counterspell a trap that simply created a burst of fire without actually duplicating a specific spell.
kuonji 01-22-08, 08:59 AM	You raise a good point, Zarith, I just wonder if the FAQ is assuming you have identified the type of trap ("Hey guys, this is a burning hands trap.") and can therefore counter it because of that knowledge. It seems sort of dangerous to ready a counterspell action to use on a trap if you don't actually know what spell the trap is going to spit out at you. Considering how underused counterspelling generally is, I suppose allowing spell triggers to be countered isn't necessarily a terrible idea.
Jayden 01-22-08, 07:40 PM	I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to discern what kind of spell is being casted from a staff, considering that staff's are made through Arcane means, and Knowledge (Arcane) is all things encompasing the arcane. Even morso if the staff's spell has been cast like ten times before in the combat (Whcih is the situation). A staff of Life for example, really only has one real use in combat, that being the Heal spell. Also, if using Dispel Magic instead of countering the spell with the spell itself, I imagine, they only have to know that a spell is being cast instead of identifying it.
Tordak 01-23-08, 08:46 AM	Yes, because you are 'casting a spell' from a staff (as opposed to some magic items that fonction as spell-likes; in that case no dispel is possible). You need to follow all the rules for counterspelling, including readying an action and identifying the spell being cast. If you fear a staff, it's probably better to attempt to cast a target dispel magic at it.