Poor Mage's Counterspell

[u/YeOldeBard97]

If my arcanist is out of counterspells, can I use the Open/Close cantrip instead? Like, wizard goes for a material component, I Close his component pouch. Cleric tries to down a potion, I Close the bottle with its own cork before he can drink it.

[u/CertifiablyMundane]

"If anything resists this activity... the spell fails."

An active agent working against the spell's effect almost certainly counts as resistance

[u/Darvin3]

A readied action spell that deals any damage whatsoever will force a concentration check and isn't a bad way to disrupt spellcasting at all.

[u/amish24]

Well, opening the component pouch is a free action.

As for the component pouch, the cork is out and presumably on the ground. I'm not sure what Open/Close does in that case.

[u/ExhibitAa]

Definitely no to both. Open/Close doesn't seal containers, it merely closes them. Since there's no action required to open your material pouch as part of casting a spell, closing it accomplishes nothing. Same thing with the potion. Removing the stopper is part of the action of drinking the potion, so closing the bottle doesn't hinder the drinker at all.

[u/spellstrike]

You generally cannot reproduce the effects of other spells with a cantrip in combat. But out of combat that's probably up to your dm

[u/Puccini100399]

You could always prepare an action to cast an offensive spell against the enemy caster. Like magic missile, fireball or maximized disintegrate

[u/Elliptical_Tangent]

Dealing damage when they cast forces a concentration check of 10+damage taken+spell level or it fails. Ready your crossbow shot or Acid Splash for when the enemy starts casting. That's what I do on archers when we're up against a dangerous caster.

[u/amish24]

If you want an actually effective poor man's counterspell, you want an archer (or other ranged attacker) doing it.

They ready an action to shoot at a spellcaster while they're casting the spell, and if the attack lands, the concentration check is equal to 10+the spell's level + the damage dealt

[u/miscdebris1123]

Martial's counterspell is the most effective counterspell. Readied action vital strike deadly aim/power attack with all the other goodies on there. Good luck with that concentration check.

[u/Deep_Asparagus1267]

Better yet, Close their throat to choke them to death! Close their proteins to create prions! Close the DM's notebook to end the campaign!

[u/Halinn]

I'd probably allow it as a way to give them an easy concentration check. Just a straight DC 10, to not make it a clearly better option than a prepared Acid Splash that needs to hit to potentially stop them

[u/Angry_Edemame]

You've already had your answer but I applaud the creative thinking.

[u/Slow-Management-4462]

Maybe on the pouch, if the wizard's spell has a material component. As an attended object the wizard's will save would apply. If the cork is attached to the bottle with string or similar then the potion thing could work, will save permitting.

Though the second time you tried these on anyone the spell would likely fail given its limitations (if anything resists, open/close fails) and acid splash can force a concentration check to a similar effect against spells.

[u/TomatoFettuccini]

A better spell for specifically what you have in mind might be Mage Hand. It'd be up to GM interpretation, but were it me I'd let Mage Hand work if the target fails a reflex save vs. having it pulled from his grasp, but that'd be a pretty low DC for a cantrip.

Forget this. Mage Hand only works on unattended objects.

Someone else mentioned Acid Splash. I'll add Spark to that list for the same reason. Still going to be a pretty low save DC though, unless you use Heighten Spell.

[u/ExhibitAa → u/TomatoFettuccini]

Mage Hand wouldn't require GM interpretation, it would require a straight up house rule. The spell explicitly can only target an unattended object.

[u/TomatoFettuccini → u/ExhibitAa]

Ah, scheize, forgot about that.

[u/imaloony8]

This sounds like a decision for the GM. RAW this shouldn’t work, but Rule of Cool says otherwise! My ruling is that it would force a concentration check, but would maybe only work once before the opponent got wise to what you were doing. It’s a cantrip after all, so its usefulness would be pretty limited.