Counterspelling (3.5): What Range & Target?

[Duke of Urrel]

When you counterspell the spell of an enemy spellcaster, what is the range of counterspelling, and what do you target?

The answers to these questions are simple and clear only if you use the Dispel Magic to spell counterspell. If you use any other spell, the only thing I understand is that both the range and the target of your counterspell are important.

"As a general rule, a spell can only counter itself. If you are able to cast the same spell and you have it prepared (if you prepare spells), you cast it, altering it slightly to create a counterspell effect. If the target is within range, both spells automatically negate each other with no other results."

Source: http://http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/castingSpells.htm#counterspells. I have added the bold text.

Firstly and most importantly: What is it that you must target when you try to counterspell using any spell other than the Dispel Magic spell? Is it the enemy spellcaster, or is it the creature, object, or area that the enemy spellcaster is targeting? Do you have to know in advance what your enemy is aiming at in order to make the counterspell work?

Several more questions arise immediately in regard to the range of counterspelling.

1. Consider spells with a range of "Touch." The Light spell and the Darkness spell are explicitly opposite spells that may be used to counterspell each other. However, they are also both touch spells. Unless you're standing right next to an enemy spellcaster, it seems very unlikely that you'll be able to counterspell this spellcaster's Light with Darkness or Darkness with Light. (And must you touch the enemy spellcaster, or the object upon which she wants to bestow the spell?)

2. Spells with a range of "Personal" are equally mystifying. Is it even possible to counterspell a spell of this kind with anything other than Dispel Magic?

3. Spells with with greater ranges (Close, Medium, or Long) are a little less confusing, but there still remains this question: If the enemy spellcaster can cast a spell with a greater range than you (for example because his caster level is higher or because he uses the Enlarge Spell feat), and you are outside this range, is counterspelling impossible for you or not?

[ArcturusV]

Well I think the Light/Darkness and Bane/Bless, etc, isn't so much about "Counterspelling" despite the phrase "Counter". I think it's a throwback to older editions that no one ever really considered the implications of. Where if you cast Darkness on a location (And it was a ranged spell after all), you could cast Light on the same location and the result would be nothing. I don't have hard evidence that was the case. But it seems to be.

As far as the ruling, when I've used Counterspelling (Thankfully rarely), the work around our table came to and agreed upon in terms of obvious ranged spells was overlapping range/line of effect to. In your example on point three the answer would have been if it was ever in range of you (And you had line of effect to the line of effect the spell itself was using) you could.

It isn't necessarily RAW. But from what we could tell it seems to be the implication of the passages in question.

[Duke of Urrel]

As far as the ruling, when I've used Counterspelling (Thankfully rarely), the work around our table came to and agreed upon in terms of obvious ranged spells was overlapping range/line of effect to. In your example on point three the answer would have been if it was ever in range of you (And you had line of effect to the line of effect the spell itself was using) you could.

It isn't necessarily RAW. But from what we could tell it seems to be the implication of the passages in question.

I'm not sure there is any sure answer in the RAW, so I'll take any advice I can get, and I thank you for your input.

Your proposed rule is decent. If you need line of effect only to the line of effect of the enemy's spell, this eliminates the problem of different ranges. I could also argue that since counterspelling is a readied action, it's not difficult to anticipate what the enemy spellcaster is aiming at. If your Spellcraft check succeeds, you know.

This still leaves the question of how to counterspell spells with a range of "Touch" or "Personal." Anybody?

[Seharvepernfan]

PHB, pg. 170:


How Counterspells Work: To use a counterspell, you must select an opponent as the target of the counterspell.

1. The target must be within range of the spell you are counterspelling with. If it's a touch spell, they must be within your reach.

2. Nope, just dispel magic.

3. Yes.