Counterspell

Spell FAQs

Below are commonly asked questions about this spell. Some of the information is pulled official D&D sources (such as books and the twitter feeds of D&D officials), but other information is derived from forums and online discussions. As always, it is up to the DM to decide how they wish to spell questions. If you have a FAQ about this spell that you feel other DM's may wish to know, please send us the message!

Does counterspell target the caster or the spell you're trying to counter?

Counterspell targets the other spellcaster [source: Sage Advice Compendium].

Can you Counterspell an innate spellcasting ability?

Only if an innate spell specifically says that no components (V, S or M) need to be used for the spell, is that spell unable to be counterspelled.

Innate spells follow the normal rules for spell components unless otherwise noted.

An innate spell can have special rules or restrictions. For example, a drow mage can innately cast the levitate spell, but the spell has a "self only" restriction, which means that the spell affects only the drow mage. (MM 10)

Since innate spells are simply normal spells, they follow normal spellcasting rules unless there is a specific rule that overrides the general. This means that innate spells need all the components as normal spells unless a specific rule for that monster says otherwise.

Jeremy Crawford has confirmed this via Twitter (several times):

Q: Does innate spell casting use V and S components?
A: A creature's Innate Spellcasting trait tells you if it doesn't require certain components. It otherwise requires components.

In addition, Xanathar's Guide to Everything clarifies that you need to perceive a spell being cast (by either a verbal, somatic or material component) in order to counterspell it (p85):

If the need for a spell's components has been removed by a special ability, such as the sorcerer's Subtle Spell feature or the Innate Spellcasting trait possessed by many creatures, the casting of the spell is imperceptible.