The rules around one of Dungeons & Dragons’ most notorious spells just got a much-needed nerf. The 2024 Player’s Handbook contains a chapter filled with both new and updated spells, with the D&D design team aiming to fix some problematic spells and provide upgrades to other spells. Several spells were also revised to make them either easier to understand or to bring them in line with their intended power. One such spell is counterspell, one of the most popular spells in the game and a potent stymy to would-be spellcasters. The Player’s Handbook contains a new version of counterspell, one that was previewed by the D&D design team during a playtest last year.
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Counterspell now requires its target to making a Constitution saving throw. If the target fails, the spell fails and the player wastes the Action, Bonus Action, or Reaction used to try to cast the spell. However, the target doesn’t lose the spell slot that would have been used if the spell was cast. Previously, the spell automatically succeeded if the target was casting a spell of 3rd level or less and the caster made an ability check (using their spellcasting ability with a DC equalling 10 plus the spell’s level) for the spell to work. Additionally, the target’s spell slot would be lost even though the spell wasn’t cast.
The change to counterspell was necessary for a few reasons. First, several classes such as the Paladin have their core abilities tied to spellcasting and the 2014 version of counterspell would potentially wipe out their ability to use most of their spells due to the automatic success of low level spells. Second, counterspell is a bit less punishing as the spellcaster no longer loses access to their spell slots. In the 2014 rules, losing an Action (or Bonus Action) was bad enough, but it also stung to lose access to a limited resource. Finally, the new version of the spell puts the focus on the target instead of the caster. If the target has invested in Constitution, they have a more likely chance of succeeding on the saving throw, making it less of a dump stat for casters. (Although, to be fair, Constitution should never be a dump stat.)
You can check out more changes to Dungeons & Dragons’ ruleset here.
