In Vanguard, only casters could counterspell, and they had to have a high skill level to ID the spell first. Bad things could happen if no one ID'd a spell that had to get countered. Can't say I remember all those Varking wipes fondly, but it made counterspelling a special ability and seemed appropriate for casters.
In other games, everyone can see what a mob is casting and every class has an interrupt.
These are opposite ends of the spectrum. Where do you think Pantheon will end up? Do you have a preference? I like the idea of making it a specialty in keeping with the class interdependence idea, but it should be more reliable than the VG system imo.
I like counters and reactives, I just don't want them to go too far with them. I have friends who are handicap IRL and MMORPG's are a way for them to live vicariously through their avatar, and a lot of newer games are simply unplayable for them because of how fast/reactionary/twitch they are. Just don't go too far with it.. maybe a little more than EQ.
I love the idea of being unable to tell what spell is being cast, due to lack of magical knowledge. I've not really experienced that in a game before, as I only played Vanguard to the end of the tutorial (and very late in its life).
At this point I don't think Pantheon could possibly take this idea "too far" for me. Diablo Identifying items, Morrowing creating spells, Magicka mixing elements... I've definitely not hit the point of diminishing returns for complex magical systems, and this specific idea seems to add complexity in exactly the right places.
A mirror image of this idea could be applied to melee; skillful melee classes have "stances" that counter certain specific tactics used by a given enemy. Catfoot stance dodges Minotaur axes more adroitly, Fencing stance fends off skillful strikes more often. Casters here are SOL, and take full damage from all (like melee are vulnerable to unknown spells).
From the FAQ: "With Pantheon, combat will still be action-packed and require close attention, using tactics, as well as reacting to what mobs and other players may be doing. In fact, so much will be going on that you will not want to have to worry about whether you are swinging your sword or not -- you will be casting spells, assuming stances, countering or deflecting your opponent’s moves and spells, and more." "The player will have enough time to react to what the NPC is doing (counterspell, deflect, move out of the way, etc.). Combat is more involved and the player will need to pay attention, but it is not ‘twitch’ in the way a first-person shooter is."
Please see the discussion in these threads:
https://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/5518/counterspells-and-activatable-ripostes-parries
https://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/4671/reactive-attacks-amp-counter-attacks-amp-con-system