Incorporeal creatures and spell effects

[Piratecat]

This came up in my game last night and we weren't sure on the ruling. Do incorporeal creatures have a 50% miss chance on any spell that could affect them, even ones that don't do direct damage? Or do mind-affecting spells and the like not need to roll the miss chance, although physically damaging spells like fireball do?

Definition of [glossary]incorporeal[/glossary].

Thanks for any insight.

 

[hong]

The 50% miss chance specifically refers to damage only.

 

[Cabled]

Also force effects

Purely force effects, like Magic Missile, also do not miss as they extend to the ethereal as well.

 

[Thanee]

Incorporeal creatures have nothing to do with the ethereal.

But Force effects work against incorporeal targets nonetheless.

As hong said, spells affect incorporeal creatures normally, unless they deal damage, only then the 50% miss chance is used.

Most incorporeal creatures are also undead and thus also immune to a lot of spells, however, especially mind-affecting spells.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Piratecat]

Drat.

I ruled wrong last night. My group made a cogent argument for the correct answer and I overruled them, as I'd balanced the encounter with a more difficult "50% for anything to fail". Looks like it was just those particular monsters.

 

[Thanee]

Maybe it was secretly blinking...

Bye
Thanee

 

[diaglo]

they passed thru some time effect portal. it was only active for that encounter at that particular moment in time.

 

[diaglo]

in the case of hong's Rule Britiania campaign it works even better... time =(0,0) or some other specific phase of the moons.

secret internal powers are awoken

secret portals

secret effects on magic.

 

[hong]

in the case of hong's Rule Britiania campaign it works even better... time =(0,0) or some other specific phase of the moons.

secret internal powers are awoken

secret portals

secret effects on magic.

I can't believe I haven't used that yet. Reminder to self: use two moons for planned encounter!

 

[diaglo]

I can't believe I haven't used that yet. Reminder to self: use two moons for planned encounter!

you can tell i played too much Ultima when i still remember the code time to open the portal....