Incorporeal and You

[Elorebaen]

Hello!

Can a an incorporeal foe (e.g. wraith) pass through the PCs, and if so, what are the results?

Thank you for your help!

[Kayerloth]

I believe the answer is yes keeping in mind that two creatures cannot occupy the same space at the end of a turn and what gear the PC may or may not be wearing. A wraith moving through a PC would have no effect at all on the PC by itself. Causing damage or ability drain etc. still requires an attack roll and the wraith cannot remain in the space with the PC at the end of the turn. Feel free to add any cosmetic/dramatic and purely colorful effect you wish if you so desire i.e. the PC feels a cold chill run up his back etc. but there would be no ingame mechanical effect by RAW.

It is interesting that the rules mention grappling and trip attacks but are quiet on the subject of a bull rush.

[Beopere]

Don't forget about AOOs.

[DM_Blake]

Kayerloth has the correct answer. Creatures that do touch attacks cannot automatically deliver a touch attack through random contact; they must actually make a real attack to do whatever their damage is. Moving through is not an attack so no damage. Any exception to this would be explicitly stated in the monster's stat block.

AoOs are possible, certainly for entering the target's square, but otherwise it should be possible to, say, leave a square with a wall (cover prevents AoO), pass through an enemy in an adjacent square, ending his turn in the ground beneath that enemy - all while just provoking from the enemy whose square he entered. And Acrobatics might help with that. Or dim lighting, darkness, invisibility, etc. - you can't take your AoO if the creature that provoked it has concealment.

Also Force effects stop incorporeals, so be aware that Mage Armor and Bracers of Armor should likely cause the incorporeal to bounce off rather than pass through.

[Archaeik]

Moving Through a Square wrote:

Opponent: You can't move through a square occupied by an opponent unless the opponent is helpless. You can move through a square occupied by a helpless opponent without penalty. Some creatures, particularly very large ones, may present an obstacle even when helpless. In such cases, each square you move through counts as 2 squares.

I see no exception in the rules for incorporeals, so Acrobatics is required to even accomplish this.

Now, "realistically", a material being probably couldn't actually stop them (and they won't end up prone if they fail), so it's not unreasonable to let them without the check (incurring all other consequences).

Re: Bull Rush

UMR:Incorporeal wrote:

In fact, they cannot take any physical action that would move or manipulate an opponent or its equipment, nor are they subject to such actions.

[Kayerloth]

Good point about Bull Rush and that is more or less what I would assume. Still it's a bit odd since both tripping and grappling would also require moving or manipulating an opponent to fail to mention bull rush as well.

[Quandary]

question is does "nor are they subject to such actions" [that would move or manipulate an opponent]
mean they are not subject to normal rules excluding movement/remaining in square of corporeal opponent...?
there is the particularity of "actions" vs. generic rules, but in this case it is a rules result of THEIR OWN action,
and THEIR OWN ACTION should still qualify (i.e. not subject to their own actions that would move or manipulate themselves due to effect of corporeal creature's existence).
...?