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I was a bit confused by this, so I was hoping someone could clear it up for me...
Upon casting this spell, you keep your relative form, but you and your equipment become composed entirely of dust. While in this dust form, you take no penalties for squeezing, and can move through spaces as if you were a creature three size categories smaller without penalty. You are also considered incorporeal, though any nonmagical attack you make deals half damage (50%). Magic attacks are unaffected, and you can still use your magic items and other equipment as normal. If the duration ends in a square that your normal space cannot occupy, you take 3d6 damage and are shunted to the nearest open space that you can normally occupy.
Okay, from what I can tell, you don't lose any of your gear (unlike most polymorph spells, or spells that turn you 'incorporeal') but what I'm not sure about is this...
Do you keep your natural AC, or do you gain the deflection bonus equal to your Charisma modifier?
Do your attacks now ignore natural armor, shields, and armor just like incorporeal attacks do?
Do you get to move silently and not be heard with Perception checks like other incorporeal?
Since incoporeal creatures have no strength score, do you use your dexterity modifier for melee attacks, ranged attacks, and CMB like other incorporeal?
I'm assuming you still take half-damage from non-ghost touch weapons, but is this correct?
Any clarification would be helpful. Thanks again.
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I suspect it may be intending to only apply the Core Rule Book version of Incorporeal, vs. the Bestiary version.
If the Bestiary version applies (being able to enter solid objects adjacent to open space),
the entire bit about squeezing and smaller creature size would seem to be pretty much superfluous.
The CRB leaves out all the CHA to AC bits, the ignoring Armor bits, the move silently and STR score bits, moving at full speed while blind, etc.
The CRB also doesn't have this line that Bestiary has:
Corporeal spells and effects that do not cause damage only have a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal creature.
So depending on which version you use, non-damaging corporeal spells/effects may or may not affect you.
I actually wasn't aware of the difference between CRB/Bestiary here... What's up with that?
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Question: what the hell does this actually mean: (from Bestiary Incorporeal)
Nonvisual senses, such as scent and blindsight, are either ineffective or only partly effective with regard to incorporeal creatures.
EITHER ineffective or only partially ineffective. Which is it?
How does partially effective Scent/Blindsight work?
Yea, I'm not entirely sure what benefits you get from this.
I mean, my GUESS would be that all damage dealt to you by coporeal attacks is reduced by half (again, just a guess, and I'm mostly basing that on the fact that your own attacks get reduced if you make 'non-magical' attacks while corporeal...but the benefit of course is that if you have a 'magic weapon', you basically take no reduction at all)
actually...I have another question: would ghost touch even help to hit someone in dust form? I mean, you're not exactly 'incorporeal' in the strictest since of the term. Clarification anyone (actually, clarification on a lot actually...because I'm still unclear as to what kind of benefits you gain from this spell)?
Anybody ? :(
i am at a loss
Looking over the spell, it seems that the underlying questions are as follows:
1. The spell says that the caster is "considered incorporeal"...does that mean that the subject gains the Incorporeal subtype?
2. If the subject gains the Incorporeal subtype, do they then gain the Incorporeal Special Quality?
The bulk of the questions stem from abilities granted to creatures with the Incorporeal special quality.
My reading is that the caster gains the subtype (immune to crits, etc.) but not the special quality. This interpretation is based on the abilities granted by the special quality, which are specifically not granted by the spell (you transform into dust, which cannot pass through solid objects.)
any nonmagical attack you make deals half damage (50%). Magic attacks are unaffected, and you can still use your magic items and other equipment as normal.
this is the part that has me a little confused, as it seems to imply that attacks from (and potentially against) you are somehow effected by your new 'incorporeal' status.
Again, I'm 'assuming' this means that attacks against you that do not have the 'ghost touch' property are reduced by 50%, but again I'm unsure.
Wow, this really is an annoying spell. I am not sure I know what the RAI are in this case. The ability you're mentioning comes from the Incorporeal Special Quality (Ex) which I think the spell clearly doesn't want to grant in its entirety. However if not, then why mention being "considered incorporeal" at all? Sure some part of incorporeality not mentioned in the spell must apply...
As a DM, I'd rule that yes, you only take 50% damage from corporeal sources. It's a high-level spell and seems in line for the power level it's at, as well as the flavor text of becoming dust.