Advanced Counterspelling

Introduction

A fundamental knowledge of Counterspelling is crucial to any mage who wishes to achieve even a modest level of competence in the Art. In its most straightforward form, Counterspelling is the act of negating an opponent's chosen spell by a focused response wherein an appropriate 'counter' of one's own is used. There are three fundamental means of countering spells: Universal Counters, which are Abjurations known as the three Dispels and Mordenkainen's Disjunction; Specific Counters, spells that often, but not always, stand in opposition to what is being cast; and Self-Counters, which are the spells themselves.

Before going any further, I would be remiss if I left out two obvious components of the art of Counterspelling. First, the counter speller must be able to identify the spell that his opponent is casting! Without a sufficient knowledge in Spellcraft, one cannot hope to succeed in countering any spell, no matter what its circle. Second, the counterspeller must stay in place and remain focused on the spellcaster he wishes to counter. Moving even two steps can break one's concentration, and the counterspeller will have to refocus before continuing his work. Now on to the subject at hand.

Universal Counters

The first category consists of Universal Counters. These are Lesser Dispel (second circle), Dispel Magic (third circle), Greater Dispelling (sixth circle), and Mordenkainen's Disjunction (ninth circle), and are called such because they can be used to counter any spell equal to or less than their own circle. In other words, Lesser Dispel will counter any first- or second-circle spell; Dispel Magic any first- through third-circle spell; Greater Dispelling any first- through sixth-circle spell; and Mordenkainen's Disjunction any first- to ninth-circle spell.

If a counterspeller has filled his spellbook only with the Abjurations mentioned above, they will automatically be chosen to correspond to the spell-circle of the spell being countered in an equal-to or lower-than fashion. In other words, if the original caster began to recite the words for Improved Invsibility, a fourth-circle spell, it would be countered by Greater Dispelling, since Dispel Magic was one spell-circle too low.

Specific Counters

The second category of Counterspells are Specific Counters. These are spells that are often, but not always, intuitive to think about, and they ignore the restrictions listed above for the Universal Counters - i.e., spell-circle is largely irrelevant. Four that illustrate this are:

-Light, a cantrip, counters Darkness, a second-circle spell -Slow counters Haste -Clarity counters both Charm Person and Confusion -Remove Blindness/Deafness, a fourth-circle spell, counters both Blindness/Deafness and, surprisingly, the Mass version of the spell, which is an eighth-circle Illusion.

Self-Counters

The third category of Counterspells is certainly the most obvious of all: Self-Counters. Simply put, any spell counters itself. So Haste counters Haste, Greater Magic Weapon counters Greater Magic Weapon, and so on.

An important fact to bear in mind is the order in which these Counterspells are cast to abnegate the original spell. The Self-Counters will be the first used, followed by the Specific Counters, and finished up with the Universal Counters. The implications here are that if you intend primarily to Counterspell during an outing, then you would be well-served to know in advance what your opponents will be casting and to memorize those exact spells if you can, thus saving your Universal Counters for those that aren't in your spellbook or are simply unexpected.

Notes

One surprising aspect of Counterspelling has to do with the distance at which it can be achieved. Though individual spells have ranges that vary from the touch of a hand to dozens of feet, when they're used as counterspells they ignore their usual range limitations, and will work as long as the counterspeller can maintain visual contact with the other spellcaster. Vampiric Touch, as its name implies, can only be used to attack an opponent within arm's reach. Used as a Specific Counter, however, a mage can counterspell a foe attempting to touch an ally as long as the spellcaster is in eyesight. (Special thanks to Magus Rosaline Lightforger for her help on this.)

Finally, the question of whether or wizard or a sorceror is better equipped to effectively counterspell an opponent is worth discussing, for each has its advantages and disadvantages. A wizard, with a wider range of spells at his disposal, will likely have access to more Specific and Self Counters than a sorceror, and can prepare accordingly. A sorceror, on the other hand, will usually be able to cast Universal Counters more often every day than a wizard. And if he doesn't use up his allotted number of spells in the same circle as a given Universal Counter, he will be able to use other spells of that circle to whatever end he wishes.

It's easy to see how Counterspelling can be useful both in terms of practical application and to deepen one's understanding of the Art. And simply knowing how to do it isn't enough - I've learned that application in the field will help you understand the oft-unexpected nuances that arise outside the comfort of study- and practice-rooms.

-Thomas Bosh Blue Order of the Sky