Incorporeal attacks

[Wippit Guud]

Does an incorporeal attack have the same 50% miss change against corporeal forms, as corporeal attacks have against incorporeal forms?

(that's hard to say really fast)

 

[Hypersmurf]

I don't believe so.

-Hyp.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

No they don't. In fact, an incorporeal creature's attack is usually a touch attack that bypasses armor.

 

[AuraSeer]

No they don't. In fact, an incorporeal creature's attack is usually a touch attack that bypasses armor.

Correct, except for the word "usually." Incorporeal creatures always ignore armor, except for force effects or ghost touch armor.

See the description of Incorporeality on this page.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

Yeah, I was about 99.5% sure of that, but I hedged my bet anyway.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Correct, except for the word "usually."

Correct, except for the phrase 'except for the word "usually."'

An incorporeal creature using a ghost touch weapon, for example, does not make a touch attack but a normal melee attack.

-Hyp.

 

[Grog]

Correct, except for the word "usually." Incorporeal creatures always ignore armor, except for force effects or ghost touch armor.

So does this mean that incorporeal touch attacks aren't as good as normal touch attacks? Because Mage Armor doesn't protect against ordinary touch attacks.

 

[AuraSeer]

No armor helps against any touch attack, corporeal or not. Touch attacks ignore armor, shields, and natural armor.

If a spectre attempts to hit you with its energy drain, that is an incorporeal touch attack. All your armor bonuses are ignored, regardless of where they come from.

If a ghost hits you with a +1 ghost touch longsword, that's a regular incorporeal attack. Force effects like Mage Armor do protect you from this, but normal armor does not (unless it has ghost touch).

[Edited to add that I apparently misread Dr. Zoom's post. Ooops.]

 

[Hypersmurf]

If a ghost hits you with a +1 ghost touch longsword, that's a regular incorporeal attack.

I don't agree with that.

The sword can affect things both corporeal and incorporeal - it would be affected by armor as normal, in my opinion.

-Hyp.

 

[hammymchamham]

I don't agree with that.

The sword can affect things both corporeal and incorporeal - it would be affected by armor as normal, in my opinion.

-Hyp.

I agree Hyp. Its not like if I as a dwarf fighter (for example) use a ghost touch weapon against a human paladin in full plate that I get to ignore his armor. Thats what Brillant Energy is for