Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 deathpsyker Aug 03, 2009 2:39:06	I'm confused with how the phb words the rulings for a character's armor bonus, in regards to force-like armor bonuses granted by spells such as mage armor and inertial armor. To my understanding, such an armor bonus applies versus touch attacks made by incorporeal creatures, but aside from that, it does not count.
#2 bigtony Aug 03, 2009 2:45:01	Correct. This is because the incorporeal creatures only ignore armor since it can't really "Interact" with them. They just pass through it affecting you as though it wasn't there. Therefore they can affect attack you against the AC it takes to simply come into contact with you (Touch). Since Force Effects represent as much an obstacle for incorporeal creatures as armor would to an ordinary corporeal target, they have to get around it just like you would get around armor with a pointy object: Finding an uncovered area or a gap of some sort. This doesn't change the fact that a normal attack, something that genuinely only needs to come into contact with you... like a trip attack isn't any more hindered by Force Armor than it would be normal armor. In game, this is represented mechanical by exactly what you described, Force Effects and the like selectively applying to the "touch attacks" of incorporeal creatures only.
#3 Novacat Aug 03, 2009 3:19:24	This belongs ovah heah.
#4 Zherog Aug 03, 2009 6:54:06	Why? It could go there, sure. But this is also a perfectly fine place to ask the question.