I am already well aware that Improved Natural Attack can be applied to incorporeal touch attacks (as per 3.5 history and various published Paizo monsters). However, when applied to an incorporeal touch for which the base damage is Str damage, does it increase that damage?
If you would like specifics, there is a little homebrew at play. We have this custom Improved Familiar:
TN Tiny Outsider
Init +8
Senses Darkvision; Perception +29
Languages
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AC 37, touch 33, flat-footed 30, CMD: 31
(+4 Armor, +12 Deflection, +8 Dex, +2 Size, +1 Dodge)
HP 110 (147*.75)
Fort +9, Ref +14, Will +13
Defensive Abilities Incorporeal, Improved Evasion, SR 17, Nondetection
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Speed 40 ft Fly
Melee incorporeal touch +15/+10 (1 Str Damage)
Space 2.5 ft, Reach 0ft
Base Attack +7/+2; CMB 10
Special Attacks Deliver Touch Spells
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Abilites Str: -, Dex: 26, Con: 12, Int: 12, Wis: 14, Cha: 19
SQ: Empathy/Speak with Master, Speak with Shadows, Share Spells
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Mobility, Skill Focus (Perception), Spring Attack
Skills: Bluff +20, Perception +29, Sense Motive +12, Stealth +25, Knowledge (Planes) +17, Fly +14 Racial Skill Modifiers: +4 Stealth in Dim Light (-4 in Bright Light), +2 Stealth (w/in 1 mile of Rath)
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Possessions Alcinder's Incorporeal Gown
And the question is whether spending a feat on Improved Natural Attack could send the damage from 1 -> 1d2 Str damage, and likewise whether Vital Strike could be of use.
It wouldn't affect the strength damage, normally 'rider' damage like the STR damage from a shadow is listed under the special abilities of the creature but there is no seperation in the stat block. Basically, the actual touch attack does zero damage (which would get multiplied by vital strike) then the 'rider' damage takes effect.
Coraith can you cite a rule/FAQ/whatever on that? That would answer the question if so, at least as far as Vital Strike goes.
Skylancer4, that would definitely be the case for creatures where the ability damage is just a rider on the normal damage of the touch (a wraith for example where you take hit point damage, and then also save vs a Con drain if it touches you). I'm not sure about creatures where the ability damage is the damage for the attack, though. If you can point to any particular lines in the rules that would be helpful, though I might be inclined to go with that reading anyway.
Coraith can you cite a rule/FAQ/whatever on that? That would answer the question if so, at least as far as Vital Strike goes.
Skylancer4, that would definitely be the case for creatures where the ability damage is just a rider on the normal damage of the touch (a wraith for example where you take hit point damage, and then also save vs a Con drain if it touches you). I'm not sure about creatures where the ability damage is the damage for the attack, though. If you can point to any particular lines in the rules that would be helpful, though I might be inclined to go with that reading anyway.
An Ability Score damage/drain is not the same as dealing hit point damage, which is what the Vital Strike feat affects.
The attack the Familiar is doing is a touch attack that deals 0 hit point damage, multiplying the dice rolled for that damage (which is zero) would do nothing, and even if it does affect ability score damage (which it doesn't indicate), it would still multiply by 0 (the number of dice rolled), or by 1 (the damage it deals), resulting in no gain of any damage.
Coraith can you cite a rule/FAQ/whatever on that? That would answer the question if so, at least as far as Vital Strike goes.
Skylancer4, that would definitely be the case for creatures where the ability damage is just a rider on the normal damage of the touch (a wraith for example where you take hit point damage, and then also save vs a Con drain if it touches you). I'm not sure about creatures where the ability damage is the damage for the attack, though. If you can point to any particular lines in the rules that would be helpful, though I might be inclined to go with that reading anyway.
Go read the shadow on the d20pfsrd, notice the SU ability that states damage done. The actual physical attack does nothing, the damage is a rider effect from the SU ability.
If a shadow picked up a Ghost Touch weapon and swung it, it could take advantage of the vital strike feat (as the attack was doing actual physical damage to multiply). The SU ability however would not benefit.
Also note the feat specifies weapon damage, which the SU ability isn't. It is the type of 'special' damage that gets added after the weapon damage gets modified as per the feat. To sum up, the attribute damage is a special ability added on to a touch attack, it isn't weapon damage. Vital strike does nothing for it.