If I am understanding the new rules on Circle Magic correctly, the only time that counterspell could be used to stop the action would be during the initial casting by the initiating player. If that player is a sorcerer, could they use subtle spell to prevent the circle magic attempt from being counterspelled? RAW it seems so, but is this as intended?
I think the intent is for Counterspell to be capable of being triggered at any time during the casting of a spell, which would include when the secondary casters are doing their thing.
Edit: I'm wrong, it explicitly says Counterspell would trigger upon the primary caster taking the initial Magic action to start casting it.
However, it does say that the primary caster is the one who provides the spell's components, so it does seem like they could use Subtle Spell to make it un-interruptible, provided it doesn't have any costly or consumed material components.
The rules specifically mention Counterspell and, yes, the only time you can Counterspell is when the primary caster starts the Circle. So you could negate an opponent's ability to Counterspell via Subtle Spell.
With that mind, Counterspell'ing a Circle spell would normally be a bad idea. For the duration of the casting, everyone needs to both maintain Concentration and stay within 30' of one another. If any of the participating casters don't meet these criteria at any point, the Circle cast fails - and it's a lot easier to disrupt the spell via proximity/Concentration than it would be to cast Counterspell.
RAW there's nothing that says you can't, but bear in mind Magic Circle takes a minute to cast, it has consumed material components so you'll need to interact with those, and the spell description indicates that it makes visibly glowing runes on the floor and walls, so an otherworldly being would still likely notice.
This isn't about the Magic Circle spell, but Circle Magic from Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn.
If a Reaction would trigger when a creature casts a spell—such as the Reaction taken to cast Counterspell —it also triggers when you take this action to initiate a Circle spell.
Edit: I'm wrong, it explicitly says Counterspell would trigger upon the primary caster taking the initial Magic action to start casting it.
Is anyone willing to quote a small snippet of text from the rules that confirms this?
Is the activity of the primary caster described similarly to when a spellcaster Readies a spell by fully casting it on their turn (losing the spell slot if something goes wrong after the casting but before the release of the effect) and then just holding onto the energy of the spell to delay the origination of the spell effect? If that's what's going on, then it would make sense that Counterspell would only work while the primary caster is still in the middle of taking that initial Magic action.
In my opinion, this interpretation of how Counterspell interacts with Circle spells would also confirm the fact that the secondary spellcasters are not considered to be "casting" a spell for the purpose of the one leveled spell with a spell slot per turn rule.
__________
I'm also curious if someone could research this: Are there options to cast a Circle spell with a variable number of contributors? For example, could you cast a Circle spell such that two total spellcasters would cause a certain spell effect but three total spellcasters would cause an even greater effect?
If the above is possible, suppose the primary caster casts a single action Circle spell with the intention of having three total spellcasters (including himself) contribute to the spell. Suppose the primary caster and the first secondary spellcaster have both successfully contributed to the spell, but then the second secondary spellcaster (the third total spellcaster) is knocked unconscious before having the chance to contribute to the spell. Does the primary spellcaster have the option to just proceed by releasing the spell with the effect that is created by only two total spellcasters?
The answer to this hypothetical might greatly inform how possible it actually is to "prevent" the release of a Circle spell's effect once it has already been cast / initiated.
Edit: I'm wrong, it explicitly says Counterspell would trigger upon the primary caster taking the initial Magic action to start casting it.
Is anyone willing to quote a small snippet of text from the rules that confirms this?
It's in the Circle Magic section of Heroes of Faerun:
Initiating a Circle Spell
You take a Magic action to initiate casting a Circle spell. When you do so, choose which Circle casting option (see "Circle Casting Options" below) you’re using for this casting; you must also meet any of the other requirements described in that option’s text. Until the Circle spell’s casting is complete (see below), you must maintain Concentration on the spell.
If a Reaction would trigger when a creature casts a spell—such as the Reaction taken to cast Counterspell—it also triggers when you take this action to initiate a Circle spell.
I'm also curious if someone could research this: Are there options to cast a Circle spell with a variable number of contributors? For example, could you cast a Circle spell such that two total spellcasters would cause a certain spell effect but three total spellcasters would cause an even greater effect?
If the above is possible, suppose the primary caster casts a single action Circle spell with the intention of having three total spellcasters (including himself) contribute to the spell. Suppose the primary caster and the first secondary spellcaster have both successfully contributed to the spell, but then the second secondary spellcaster (the third total spellcaster) is knocked unconscious before having the chance to contribute to the spell. Does the primary spellcaster have the option to just proceed by releasing the spell with the effect that is created by only two total spellcasters?
The answer to this hypothetical might greatly inform how possible it actually is to "prevent" the release of a Circle spell's effect once it has already been cast / initiated.
Almost of all the circle casting options' effects depend on how many secondary casters are involved and support a variable number of secondary casters. That's kind of the point.
The rules say that the spell casting is complete when the final secondary caster completes their contribution, and that the primary caster decides who the final secondary caster is. So, in your example, the primary caster gets to determine whether to end the casting with just one secondary caster or wait for the next round to let the second one try again.
Hmm, ok, this makes it seem like the author is being careful to avoid specifying that the primary caster is the one that is casting the spell and that secondary casters are not actually casting it. This also makes it seem as though the casting of this spell does not actually occur until the entire process is completed (and yet, spell slots can potentially be lost?) instead of being fully cast and then held for release. This would have to be confirmed by the rest of the text for the mechanic though. Something about how this works doesn't seem very consistent with the general rules for regular spellcasting so far. Is Counterspell not called out as an option against the Magic action that is taken by secondary spellcasters? How could the actual spellcasting process be ongoing and not yet completed but be ineligible to be Counterspelled? Hopefully a lot of this is resolved by a careful reading of Heroes of Faerun, but so far it doesn't seem that way.
Hmm, ok, this makes it seem like the author is being careful to avoid specifying that the primary caster is the one that is casting the spell and that secondary casters are not actually casting it. This also makes it seem as though the casting of this spell does not actually occur until the entire process is completed (and yet, spell slots can potentially be lost?) instead of being fully cast and then held for release. This would have to be confirmed by the rest of the text for the mechanic though. Something about how this works doesn't seem very consistent with the general rules for regular spellcasting so far. Is Counterspell not called out as an option against the Magic action that is taken by secondary spellcasters? How could the actual spellcasting process be ongoing and not yet completed but be ineligible to be Counterspelled? Hopefully a lot of this is resolved by a careful reading of Heroes of Faerun, but so far it doesn't seem that way.
I think the rules about when during the process it can be counterspelled are pretty clear; it's explicitly stated in the section I quoted earlier. The trigger is when the primary caster takes the initial Magic action to start the process. Nothing that the secondary casters are doing triggers Counterspell. Spell slots are not lost if the spell fails (for any reason, including Counterspell).
I do think it's probably easier to understand by just reading this section of the book.
Edit: I'm wrong, it explicitly says Counterspell would trigger upon the primary caster taking the initial Magic action to start casting it.
Is anyone willing to quote a small snippet of text from the rules that confirms this?
It's in the Circle Magic section of Heroes of Faerun:
Initiating a Circle Spell
You take a Magic action to initiate casting a Circle spell. When you do so, choose which Circle casting option (see "Circle Casting Options" below) you’re using for this casting; you must also meet any of the other requirements described in that option’s text. Until the Circle spell’s casting is complete (see below), you must maintain Concentration on the spell.
If a Reaction would trigger when a creature casts a spell—such as the Reaction taken to cast Counterspell—it also triggers when you take this action to initiate a Circle spell.
This says it also triggers when take the action to initiate the circle. It does not say that it doesn't trigger during the rest of the casting.
Counterspell would also be able to be triggered normally.
"Also" in this context is meaning "in addition to the normal triggers for Counterspell", which don't include what the secondary casters are doing. It doesn't need to explicitly say that it doesn't trigger during the rest of the casting, because reactions tell you when they do trigger, not when they don't.
No, I clearly say that the initiating caster is a sorcerer using subtle spell. That’s why I’m asking. My interpretation of the wording is that since it can only be counterspelled during the initial act of casting by the initiating caster, then that caster could use subtle spell to prevent it from being counterspelled. The spell could still be disrupted if concentration is lost, but I’m trying to think through how my players may use this new feature.
Spell slots are not lost if the spell fails (for any reason, including Counterspell).
Ah, thank you for this detail. I haven't seen this mentioned yet in these threads for this topic. This makes it work differently than the concept that is used by the Ready action to ready a spell.
It now sounds to me like the authors are saying that neither the Magic action used by the primary caster nor the Magic action used by any secondary caster is actually being used to cast the spell. The casting of the spell doesn't actually happen until the very end at which point it just sort of happens instantaneously such that that part of the process cannot be countered.
Since the primary caster is the one to perform the requirements of the spell components during the moment of the initiating Magic action, it is this activity that can trigger the reaction for Counterspell (and if this activity is avoided through the use of Subtle Spell, then this entire spellcasting process cannot be Counterspelled).
Spell slots are not lost if the spell fails (for any reason, including Counterspell).
Ah, thank you for this detail. I haven't seen this mentioned yet in these threads for this topic. This makes it work differently than the concept that is used by the Ready action to ready a spell.
It now sounds to me like the authors are saying that neither the Magic action used by the primary caster nor the Magic action used by any secondary caster is actually being used to cast the spell. The casting of the spell doesn't actually happen until the very end at which point it just sort of happens instantaneously such that that part of the process cannot be countered.
Since the primary caster is the one to perform the requirements of the spell components during the moment of the initiating Magic action, it is this activity that can trigger the reaction for Counterspell (and if this activity is avoided through the use of Subtle Spell, then this entire spellcasting process cannot be Counterspelled).
Does all of that seem accurate based on the text?
The way it's described in the rules, the casting of the spell is something that takes multiple actions, not something that happens instantaneously at a specific time. Again, I think you're asking a lot of questions about something that you would probably find easier to understand if you just read it yourself.
"Also" in this context is meaning "in addition to the normal triggers for Counterspell", which don't include what the secondary casters are doing. It doesn't need to explicitly say that it doesn't trigger during the rest of the casting, because reactions tell you when they do trigger, not when they don't.
Counterspell's trigger is that you see a spell being cast. A spell is being cast until the last secondary spellcaster completes their last action (in the case of a spell that takes longer than 1 turn to cast). I quoted the post where you quoted the rule, but I should have probably quoted this post instead or as well:
I think the intent is for Counterspell to be capable of being triggered at any time during the casting of a spell, which would include when the secondary casters are doing their thing.
Edit: I'm wrong, it explicitly says Counterspell would trigger upon the primary caster taking the initial Magic action to start casting it.
However, it does say that the primary caster is the one who provides the spell's components, so it does seem like they could use Subtle Spell to make it un-interruptible, provided it doesn't have any costly or consumed material components.
If you walk in after the circle spell was initiated but before it finishes, you can Counterspell it just fine, as long as it meets the other requirements for Counterspell. The Counterspell reaction is not when a spellcasting is started or finished; it's any time you see a spell being cast. You can also Counterspell it when the circle spell is initiated. I only intended this to clarify the statement which I interpreted to mean that Counterspell only triggers when the Circle is initiated.
Because the rules make a distinction between a reaction in response to the circle being initiated and the spell being cast as separate trigger points, it is possible that the intention is that initiating the Circle is not casting a spell and Subtle spell might not apply until the spell last secondary caster completes their action, at which point, Subtle Spell could prevent the actual spell from being Counterspelled. However, I don't think this has actual RAW support.
As a single spellcaster, if you rule Counterspell can be used against your spells with Longer Casting Times, since you're casting and taking the Magic action on each of your turns, I'd say the same spell using Circle Magic could also be counterspelled during the duration of that casting, not just at the start.
If I am understanding the new rules on Circle Magic correctly, the only time that counterspell could be used to stop the action would be during the initial casting by the initiating player. If that player is a sorcerer, could they use subtle spell to prevent the circle magic attempt from being counterspelled? RAW it seems so, but is this as intended?
I think the issue here would be whether Subtle would apply, because the rules for Circle Spells explicitly differentiate it from a normal casting
Initiating a Circle Spell
You take a Magic action to initiate casting a Circle spell. When you do so, choose which Circle casting option (see "Circle Casting Options" below) you’re using for this casting; you must also meet any of the other requirements described in that option’s text. Until the Circle spell’s casting is complete (see below), you must maintain Concentration on the spell.
If a Reaction would trigger when a creature casts a spell—such as the Reaction taken to cast Counterspell—it also triggers when you take this action to initiate a Circle spell.
That said, the rule also refers to it as a "casting" multiple times, which is really all Subtle is looking for
Subtle Spell
Cost: 1 Sorcery Point
When you cast a spell, you can spend 1 Sorcery Point to cast it without any Verbal, Somatic, or Material components, except Material components that are consumed by the spell or that have a cost specified in the spell.
So I'd rule this works -- Subtle could be used by the initiating caster on a Circle Spell to prevent it from being Counterspelled. Subtle doesn't specify the spell has to have a casting time of 1 action or anything, so 1 sorcery point eliminates any VS and non-$ M for the entirely of the casting
You could even choose the Supplant option and eliminate the need for M components with value too, if you wanted
Supplant
When you cast a spell that requires at least one Material component with a specified cost that is consumed by the spell, you can reduce the minimum cost of one such Material component by 50 GP per each secondary caster contributing to the spell. For example, casting Revivify as a Circle spell with two secondary casters would reduce the Material component’s minimum cost to 200 GP.
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Active characters:
Edoumiaond Willegume "Eddie" Podslee, Vegetanian scholar (College of Spirits bard) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator (Assassin rogue) Peter "the Pied Piper" Hausler, human con artist/remover of vermin (Circle of the Shepherd druid) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
"Also" in this context is meaning "in addition to the normal triggers for Counterspell", which don't include what the secondary casters are doing. It doesn't need to explicitly say that it doesn't trigger during the rest of the casting, because reactions tell you when they do trigger, not when they don't.
Counterspell's trigger is that you see a spell being cast. A spell is being cast until the last secondary spellcaster completes their last action
That's actually not the exact text of Counterspell. The reaction trigger is "which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of yourself casting a spell with Verbal, Somatic, or Material components"
The Circle Spell rules go out of their way to avoid describing a secondary caster as "casting a spell", instead just calling it "contributing" or "lending their magic"
Secondary Casters
Casting a Circle spell requires that one or more other spellcasters, called secondary casters, lend their magic to the spell. A secondary caster must have either the Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature to participate in a Circle spell.
After you initiate the spell, each secondary caster takes the Magic action to contribute to the spell. A secondary caster can take this action only while within 30 feet of you and before the start of your next turn.
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Active characters:
Edoumiaond Willegume "Eddie" Podslee, Vegetanian scholar (College of Spirits bard) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator (Assassin rogue) Peter "the Pied Piper" Hausler, human con artist/remover of vermin (Circle of the Shepherd druid) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
As a single spellcaster, if you rule Counterspell can be used against your spells with Longer Casting Times, since you're casting and taking the Magic action on each of your turns, I'd say the same spell using Circle Magic could also be counterspelled during the duration of that casting, not just at the start.
This is my thoughts as well, since until the Circle Spell's casting is complete you must maintain Concentration on the spell and the effects occur immediately after the final secondary caster takes the required action to contribute to the spell, during this entire time you should be considered as casting a spell for all intent and purposes, and so any effect that can be triggerred while doing so should apply.
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If I am understanding the new rules on Circle Magic correctly, the only time that counterspell could be used to stop the action would be during the initial casting by the initiating player. If that player is a sorcerer, could they use subtle spell to prevent the circle magic attempt from being counterspelled? RAW it seems so, but is this as intended?
I think the intent is for Counterspell to be capable of being triggered at any time during the casting of a spell, which would include when the secondary casters are doing their thing.Edit: I'm wrong, it explicitly says Counterspell would trigger upon the primary caster taking the initial Magic action to start casting it.
However, it does say that the primary caster is the one who provides the spell's components, so it does seem like they could use Subtle Spell to make it un-interruptible, provided it doesn't have any costly or consumed material components.
pronouns: he/she/they
The rules specifically mention Counterspell and, yes, the only time you can Counterspell is when the primary caster starts the Circle. So you could negate an opponent's ability to Counterspell via Subtle Spell.
With that mind, Counterspell'ing a Circle spell would normally be a bad idea. For the duration of the casting, everyone needs to both maintain Concentration and stay within 30' of one another. If any of the participating casters don't meet these criteria at any point, the Circle cast fails - and it's a lot easier to disrupt the spell via proximity/Concentration than it would be to cast Counterspell.
This isn't about the Magic Circle spell, but Circle Magic from Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2083-circle-magic-and-new-spells-gain-mastery-over-the?srsltid=AfmBOooPQXx0d83bFGgkhPrf8EeF69Sooya2qYDCnOQy9nfnTQu2zGxJ
If a Reaction would trigger when a creature casts a spell—such as the Reaction taken to cast Counterspell —it also triggers when you take this action to initiate a Circle spell.
Is anyone willing to quote a small snippet of text from the rules that confirms this?
Is the activity of the primary caster described similarly to when a spellcaster Readies a spell by fully casting it on their turn (losing the spell slot if something goes wrong after the casting but before the release of the effect) and then just holding onto the energy of the spell to delay the origination of the spell effect? If that's what's going on, then it would make sense that Counterspell would only work while the primary caster is still in the middle of taking that initial Magic action.
In my opinion, this interpretation of how Counterspell interacts with Circle spells would also confirm the fact that the secondary spellcasters are not considered to be "casting" a spell for the purpose of the one leveled spell with a spell slot per turn rule.
__________
I'm also curious if someone could research this: Are there options to cast a Circle spell with a variable number of contributors? For example, could you cast a Circle spell such that two total spellcasters would cause a certain spell effect but three total spellcasters would cause an even greater effect?
If the above is possible, suppose the primary caster casts a single action Circle spell with the intention of having three total spellcasters (including himself) contribute to the spell. Suppose the primary caster and the first secondary spellcaster have both successfully contributed to the spell, but then the second secondary spellcaster (the third total spellcaster) is knocked unconscious before having the chance to contribute to the spell. Does the primary spellcaster have the option to just proceed by releasing the spell with the effect that is created by only two total spellcasters?
The answer to this hypothetical might greatly inform how possible it actually is to "prevent" the release of a Circle spell's effect once it has already been cast / initiated.
It's in the Circle Magic section of Heroes of Faerun:
pronouns: he/she/they
Almost of all the circle casting options' effects depend on how many secondary casters are involved and support a variable number of secondary casters. That's kind of the point.
The rules say that the spell casting is complete when the final secondary caster completes their contribution, and that the primary caster decides who the final secondary caster is. So, in your example, the primary caster gets to determine whether to end the casting with just one secondary caster or wait for the next round to let the second one try again.
pronouns: he/she/they
Hmm, ok, this makes it seem like the author is being careful to avoid specifying that the primary caster is the one that is casting the spell and that secondary casters are not actually casting it. This also makes it seem as though the casting of this spell does not actually occur until the entire process is completed (and yet, spell slots can potentially be lost?) instead of being fully cast and then held for release. This would have to be confirmed by the rest of the text for the mechanic though. Something about how this works doesn't seem very consistent with the general rules for regular spellcasting so far. Is Counterspell not called out as an option against the Magic action that is taken by secondary spellcasters? How could the actual spellcasting process be ongoing and not yet completed but be ineligible to be Counterspelled? Hopefully a lot of this is resolved by a careful reading of Heroes of Faerun, but so far it doesn't seem that way.
I think the rules about when during the process it can be counterspelled are pretty clear; it's explicitly stated in the section I quoted earlier. The trigger is when the primary caster takes the initial Magic action to start the process. Nothing that the secondary casters are doing triggers Counterspell. Spell slots are not lost if the spell fails (for any reason, including Counterspell).
I do think it's probably easier to understand by just reading this section of the book.
pronouns: he/she/they
This says it also triggers when take the action to initiate the circle. It does not say that it doesn't trigger during the rest of the casting.
Counterspell would also be able to be triggered normally.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
"Also" in this context is meaning "in addition to the normal triggers for Counterspell", which don't include what the secondary casters are doing. It doesn't need to explicitly say that it doesn't trigger during the rest of the casting, because reactions tell you when they do trigger, not when they don't.
pronouns: he/she/they
No, I clearly say that the initiating caster is a sorcerer using subtle spell. That’s why I’m asking. My interpretation of the wording is that since it can only be counterspelled during the initial act of casting by the initiating caster, then that caster could use subtle spell to prevent it from being counterspelled. The spell could still be disrupted if concentration is lost, but I’m trying to think through how my players may use this new feature.
Ah, thank you for this detail. I haven't seen this mentioned yet in these threads for this topic. This makes it work differently than the concept that is used by the Ready action to ready a spell.
It now sounds to me like the authors are saying that neither the Magic action used by the primary caster nor the Magic action used by any secondary caster is actually being used to cast the spell. The casting of the spell doesn't actually happen until the very end at which point it just sort of happens instantaneously such that that part of the process cannot be countered.
Since the primary caster is the one to perform the requirements of the spell components during the moment of the initiating Magic action, it is this activity that can trigger the reaction for Counterspell (and if this activity is avoided through the use of Subtle Spell, then this entire spellcasting process cannot be Counterspelled).
Does all of that seem accurate based on the text?
The way it's described in the rules, the casting of the spell is something that takes multiple actions, not something that happens instantaneously at a specific time. Again, I think you're asking a lot of questions about something that you would probably find easier to understand if you just read it yourself.
pronouns: he/she/they
Counterspell's trigger is that you see a spell being cast. A spell is being cast until the last secondary spellcaster completes their last action (in the case of a spell that takes longer than 1 turn to cast). I quoted the post where you quoted the rule, but I should have probably quoted this post instead or as well:
If you walk in after the circle spell was initiated but before it finishes, you can Counterspell it just fine, as long as it meets the other requirements for Counterspell. The Counterspell reaction is not when a spellcasting is started or finished; it's any time you see a spell being cast. You can also Counterspell it when the circle spell is initiated. I only intended this to clarify the statement which I interpreted to mean that Counterspell only triggers when the Circle is initiated.
Because the rules make a distinction between a reaction in response to the circle being initiated and the spell being cast as separate trigger points, it is possible that the intention is that initiating the Circle is not casting a spell and Subtle spell might not apply until the spell last secondary caster completes their action, at which point, Subtle Spell could prevent the actual spell from being Counterspelled. However, I don't think this has actual RAW support.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
As a single spellcaster, if you rule Counterspell can be used against your spells with Longer Casting Times, since you're casting and taking the Magic action on each of your turns, I'd say the same spell using Circle Magic could also be counterspelled during the duration of that casting, not just at the start.
EDIT: for clarity.
I think the issue here would be whether Subtle would apply, because the rules for Circle Spells explicitly differentiate it from a normal casting
That said, the rule also refers to it as a "casting" multiple times, which is really all Subtle is looking for
So I'd rule this works -- Subtle could be used by the initiating caster on a Circle Spell to prevent it from being Counterspelled. Subtle doesn't specify the spell has to have a casting time of 1 action or anything, so 1 sorcery point eliminates any VS and non-$ M for the entirely of the casting
You could even choose the Supplant option and eliminate the need for M components with value too, if you wanted
Active characters:
Edoumiaond Willegume "Eddie" Podslee, Vegetanian scholar (College of Spirits bard)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator (Assassin rogue)
Peter "the Pied Piper" Hausler, human con artist/remover of vermin (Circle of the Shepherd druid)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I would agree with this
That's actually not the exact text of Counterspell. The reaction trigger is "which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of yourself casting a spell with Verbal, Somatic, or Material components"
The Circle Spell rules go out of their way to avoid describing a secondary caster as "casting a spell", instead just calling it "contributing" or "lending their magic"
Active characters:
Edoumiaond Willegume "Eddie" Podslee, Vegetanian scholar (College of Spirits bard)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator (Assassin rogue)
Peter "the Pied Piper" Hausler, human con artist/remover of vermin (Circle of the Shepherd druid)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
This is my thoughts as well, since until the Circle Spell's casting is complete you must maintain Concentration on the spell and the effects occur immediately after the final secondary caster takes the required action to contribute to the spell, during this entire time you should be considered as casting a spell for all intent and purposes, and so any effect that can be triggerred while doing so should apply.