Mage Armor vs Touch Attack

[anon]

Simple question: does Mage Armor protect against touch attacks?

We have been interpretting the "force" descriptor as providing protection against touch attacks, but as I read the glossary and pgs 136 & 141 of PHB it appears that this is wrong--that any "armor" bonus is ignored.

Is this chart accurate? complete?

Bonus Type..............Touch Attack Protection
Armor..........................No
Armor (enhancement).....No
Circumstance................Yes
Deflection.....................Yes
Dexterity......................Yes
Dodge..........................Yes
Insight.........................Yes
Luck............................Yes
Natural.........................No
Natural (enhancement)....No
Profane........................Yes
Sacred.........................Yes
Shield...........................No
Shield (enhancement)......No
Size.............................Yes

unnamed......................Yes

 

[hong]

Mage armour doesn't help against "normal" touch attacks, eg a spellcaster delivering a touch spell. It does help against incorporeal touch attacks, eg from a wraith.

 

[anon]

Hong, you're letting me down. How about at least throwing a "DUH!" at the end.
PS thanks.

 

[Len]

And where's the funny sig?

Len "Hong stick" Ooi

 

[Felix]

Seriously...

Hong "Slipping off his game" Ooi

 

[hong]

STOP PICKING ON MEEEEE


Hong "nonstereotypical" Ooi

 

[ARandomGod]

Hong, you're letting me down. How about at least throwing a "DUH!" at the end.
PS thanks.

Well, I'm gonna do it for him


DUH!!

Actually, this is a not to uncommon mistake. Since it does work against incorporeal touch attacks, people often assume it works against all touch attacks.

BTW, note that it indeed does still work against incorporeal touch attacks.

 

[kigmatzomat]

We've been using it as effective vs. all touch attacks for so long I had to go and check my house-rules doc. Fortunately,it was in my house rules. It just seemed logical that since force armor means things don't touch you without getting past the armor (much like deflection) that it does affect all touch attacks. If it didn't impact material touch attacks I can't see why it would affect incorporeal touch attacks.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

If it didn't impact material touch attacks I can't see why it would affect incorporeal touch attacks.

Because an incorporeal touch attack is mislabeled. It's called a touch attack because it shares many similarities with actual touch attacks, though it isn't actually a touch attack.

An incorporeal touch attack ignores most armor and shield bonuses to AC because, no matter how well you use that shield to defend yourself, a ghost can just reach through it - just like it can reach through walls.

Force effects, however, block this movement. Therefore, armor and shield bonuses as a result of force effects are retained against incorporeal [touch] attacks.