Level
3rd
Casting Time
1 Reaction *
Range/Area
60 ft
Components
S
Duration
Instantaneous
School
Abjuration
Attack/Save
None
Damage/Effect
Negation
You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell. If the creature is casting a spell of 3rd level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect. If it is casting a spell of 4th level or higher, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a success, the creature's spell fails and has no effect.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the interrupted spell has no effect if its level is less than or equal to the level of the spell slot you used.
* - which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell
Could you use it on the 2nd round of a witchbolt?
The text of the spell says "You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell" (emphasis mine) so no, you've missed the casting. Better to keep kicking the caster until they break concentration.
Can you counter spell on magical item effects?
Nope. Its not a "visible" casting. Items don't use components. And counterspell says "Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell"
Items aren't creatures.
Can you use Counterspell on healing spells or something like Revivify? Asking for my future BBEG 😈
Counterspell can counter all spells. Healing spells are still spells.
I would argue that that should be unique to wizards because they are the only ones who have studied and are familiar with the inner workings and intricacies of magic.
No, that's what "dispel magic" magic is for.
Counter Spell disrupts the casting of the spell, to stop the spell from happening.
Dispel Magic breaks actual magical effects, stopping the effect from continuing.
Yes, only wizards studied that, but they not the only ones who are familiar with it.
The Warlock get it's powers from a patron who would be familiar with it, and they lend them their ability to counter spell. That's 100% valid in my eyes.
Paladins (Redemption/Watchers) are also partly studied to fight evil magic and partly 'gifted' by their deities with magic, so them counting spells that could do great harm, is also, extremly valid in my opinion.
Now we're left with the Sorcerer. That's a hard call. You could say they have no understanding of the spells and simply do them.
But if you argue that way, you could say they still are able to counterspell simply by instinct.
Just look at counter spell 5th edition. It doesn't have any requirement/restriction. You don't need to know the spell.
Which is actually a problem and a lie or rather a mistake by the rules. Why? Subtle Spells.
Subtle Spells let you use spells without verbal or somatic components, which is meant as a countermeasure against counterspell (so long the spell doesn't need materials it consumes), but it's not really stated anywhere.
Neither in subtle spells it says that it protects your spells from counterspell, nor does counterspell say so have to see or hear a spell being cast. It does make sense though.
It also doesn't say there can't be a wall in between. The only way I would allow someone to cast counterspell around corners and such would be through familiars, but that's a tough call though.
Would casting a lvl4 version of counterspell give any bonus to the ability check? Asking for a feebleminded friend.
Why use a weird comparison that makes things more complex?
The classic way to view counterspell is as one caster countering a blast of magic with a blast of their own; think Harry Potter wizard duels or anime blast attacks colliding with each other and so-on. The original caster counterspelling your counterspell is them pouring even more of their strength into the original attack, to try and overwhelm your defences.
There is nothing unbalanced about counterspelling a counterspell, as it means instead of casting a spell with a single spell slot, a total of two spell slots have been spent to guarantee a spell was cast (and that's assuming another character doesn't counterspell the counterspell of the first counterspell and so-on). In a battle between casters you could very quickly end up with a situation where multiple characters counterpspell in an attempt to block the original attack, and 3+ spell slots get burned and the spell either goes off anyway, or fizzles out, and everyone has lost valuable casting resources in a tense split-second duel.
There's really no need to house rule against it without a clear reason for it being OP, but it really isn't as ultimately Counterspell is a costly gamble to try and stop a spell; you might succeed, or you might fail while forcing the enemy to burn another spell slot, or you might just fail outright.
Guys, it's not overpowered, it uses their one reaction. Just have more than one caster cast whatever you wanna cast
Idea: a caster who only uses counterspell, their job is to stop enemy spells from affecting the party.
I love counterspell as it is
If a Sorcerer used Subtle spell in a fight against a wizard, could it be argued that it might need being countered by said wizard? Seeing as they wouldn’t really have an idea it was being cast before it happens?
If you are being Counterspelled, can you or a party member wait to see if the enemy's Counterspell of going to work before you cast Counterspell to stop theirs?
it does actually say that you have to see the spell being cast on counterspell: "Casting time: 1 Reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell" if you don't see a creature within 60 feet cast a spell then the reaction trigger doesn't happen and counterspell can't be cast.
No, if you wait for the effect of a spell, you can't counterspell it anymore. Only dispel it if it's a lasting effect. (which is a different spell)
Counterspell is meant to disrupt the casting, afterall.
In the Sage Advice comment, the example was Fireball and Counterspell by the same character.
Both spells have Somatic components, so the spell caster needs to have both hands free, one for each spell.
If the character has a shield (multi-class) or is holding onto a weapon, and if they didn't drop that item before starting to cast Fireball, then they won't have free use of a hand to cast Counterspell.