Touch Attacks and Force

[DeBhaal]

Ok, this probably was asked some other time, but I dont ahve access to the search Function, so Im going to ask it here. . .

Do Touch attacks ignore Force Armor(i.e. Mage Armor?

And if so, Why exactly do Touch attacks ignore it, and Ethernal Attacks dont ...

 

[AuraSeer]

I don't have an answer to the question. I just wanted to point out that I have now shown up in somebody's sig.

I'm famous! Go me!

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Touch attacks ignore force armor. Ethereal attacks don't. The reason for this is that ethereal and incorporeal touch attacks are actual physical attacks. (Other touch attacks generally aren't--they rely upon magical energy rather than physical force to deal damage.) Consequently, any armor which extends into the ethereal plane (as all force effects (ie Mage Armor) and Ghost Touch armors do) is able to block the ethereal/incorporeal attacks. OTOH, touching the armor is just as good as touching the character for other touch attacks.

To be precise incorporeal touch attacks ignore:
All Armor and Natural Armor bonusses except Ghost Touch and Force Armor.

Ordinary touch attacks ignore:
All Armor and Natural Armor bonusses.

 

[DeBhaal]

That doesnt make sense to me, Force Armor shouldnt be ignored, atleast imo.
Ill probably house rule it that Force Armor will nto be ignored for a touch attack, but thanks for the reply on it actually being allowed.

 

[Dash Dannigan]

Elder has got it right. It makes sense to me...

 

[threefallentrees]

The reason touch attacks ignore force effects, as I see it, is the same reason they ignore other types of armour. I interpret the ranged touch as pointing in the right direction, and the melee touch as analogous. Granted, sometimes pointing in the right direction is difficult - have you every *tried* to hang one of those flying rings off a tree branch? They're basically point-and-throw, but it's very easy to aim wrong.

Ethereal attacks, on the other hand, don't just try to point something out, they try to attack it, and have all the attendant difficulties of that.

 

[Destil]

Re: Etheral vs. Touch

That doesnt make sense to me, Force Armor shouldnt be ignored, atleast imo.
Ill probably house rule it that Force Armor will nto be ignored for a touch attack, but thanks for the reply on it actually being allowed.

This of it this way: The force armor isn't out their floating 2 inches over your body. It's right up against it, just like normal armor (hense the Armor bonus to AC). You move and you 'push' against it, though it's weightless from your standpoint, but it dosn't just react to your motions. That's why you can't stack it with normal armor (the redundancy). If it was a shell of force floating a few inches from your body it would more likely provide a deflection bonus (and this be good against etheral attackers and touch attacks).


Touch attacks and etheral attacks are intrinscaly diffrent. Touch spells can be conducted through armor & gear, even magical. Etheral attacks simply pass though your armor and your gear. If you're on the Etheral plane your material armor is 100% functional against any 'etheral' attackers. Force armor simply always extends into that plane... (I guess wizards smack up into etheral creatures with their armor sometimes and randomly get thrown to the ground by the resulting collision... NEAT!).

Therefore touching your force armor is enugh to discharge a shocking grasp or inflict serious wounds. Etheral creatures, on the other hands, have 100% normal attacks, that just happen to not inteact with anything on the material plane except creatures, abjurations & force effects. Again, if you're etheral you're material armor is 100% effective against etheral creatures, because they can interact normaly with other creatures and objects on the etheral.

So, really, you're compairing apples to oranges.