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What is exactly is this? How does it work? How do I use it? I guess it is supposed to help me identify hostile spells and counterspell them, but how exactly do I do it?

Although spellcasting classes aren't my favourite classes, I have picked up a few bits and pieces.

As far as I know, you set up a counter-spell when you right-click on a hostile target. Your Spellcraft is checked, and if you beat the DC, I assume you know the spell.

With the identification of spells, it's an automatic use, and so you know what is being cast.

I also have little experience with spell casters, not because Idon't play them but becauese my system freezes after 1 min of gameplay... well anyway teh way I figur Spell craft works is that it boosts your skill to tell what spell any creature is casting( this can be very helpful sometimes as you might know if your supposed to run away from a firebal wich is about to be cast...) and it also help with counter spells. Now I never actually got it to work, but I belive you are supposed to enter counter-spell mode on a specific char. You will then start casting counter spells top any spells that creatre casts which you have spotted(found out what they are). You also have to have a counter-spell availabel, like slow to counter haste..... dispel magic can counter anything.....

Not quite sure about all of this as my system keep crashing, but I think that is teh way it works....

Spellcraft is useless IMHO. (Then again, I think pretty much all of the non-rogue skills are useless. :/)

I've never tried this in combat (even though I've played a mage), but from what I can tell, going in to counterspell basically makes you do nothing -but- counterspell. If you're going against a weak mage, it hardly matters since most of their spells are weak and probably won't make it past your DC and spell resistance anyways. If they're strong (eg. a boss of some sort), you won't be able to counterspell anyways. So the spells you need to counter, you can't, the ones you don't, you can.

Nice skill, huh? Kinda like a mage's version of parrying (read: stand there and do nothing).

I would say that it is not as useless as you make it....remember that you're not always alone in your party.... a theif will thank you alot if you prevent the enemy mage to cast see invisible when he is trying to backstab......

Eh, I'd like to see someone try it.

Did I mention also the fact that when fighting mages with a mage, there are dozens of methods more effective counterspelling, not counting the obvious offensive spells and just killing them outright? (although even -that- is almost always better than trying to counterspell anyways)

You can dispel their spell protection (breach, dispel magic), prevent them from casting (blindness/deafness, silence, hold person) or disrupt their spells (melf's acid arrow, summon creatures to attack mage), or protect against their spells (anti-spell protections, summon fodder).

There is simply no time in combat to just sit around and hope you can counterspell the enemies' spells when you can be casting ones of your own.

ok, point taken.... it's still another skill tp put points into if your a mage, besides concentration......

5 ranks of Spellcraft will give you a +1 to saves versus spells. A little BioWare cheese, since it's not in the core rules.

Well I think that cheese is fine becuase from what I've heard about spell craft (well, just in this thread) it's not really worth it.

My humble opinion is that it is not BioWare's place to mess with game rules when they're working under a D&D franchise rather than a "looks like D&D" franchise, but that is, of course, only my humble opinion.

I understand where you're coming from, but I think that there are certain changes that need to be made to increase playability for computer users.

Indeed. In p'n'p Spellcraft has as many uses as a DM can conquer. It's a bit more restrictive in a computer game.