Originally Posted by Archaven
yeah i think it's the shield that enemy cast and i'm able to counter it. that said, was wondering if stealth can land the first aoe spells safely? in other words, from stealth can enemy counterspell?. actually solasta can go further like when our party were ambushed enemy AI can be alittle bit smarter and rain us with aoe spells.

Yeah, during surprise rounds with your party being surprised, if the enemy mages go before your mages that possess counterspell, the surprised condition means that you can't react to their spells. Counterspelling also requires you to be within 60 ft of the enemy caster, along with establishing line of sight to them. So a mage in stealth presumably can't be countered.