Incorporeal creatures: 50% to hit AND 50% damage?

[Qayinisorouse]

Hey guys!
So we are playing carrion crown -lots of fun.

However, there are many Incorporwal monsters. After every attack (with a magical weapon) our DM asks us to roll 1d100, anything under 50 and we miss, above we roll for dmg and divide by 2.

So a few questions:
1. Is this really how Incorporal creatures work?
2. Shouldn't the DR bypass from my Smite ignore both 50% to hit and 50% dmg?
3. Are there any Paladin abilities that will allow me to bypass this?
4. Are there any items/other ways i don't know about to bypass this?

Many many many thanks

[niteowl24]

1. There is no miss-chance for incorporeal creatures.
2. Smite has no effect on miss chances, and the 50% damage is not DR.
3. The ghostbane dirge spell is the only thing I can think of off-hand. It's a first (second?) level spell for paladins.
4. Any ghost-touched weapon will work against an incorporeal creature, and ghost-touched armor will have its full AC value against their attacks.

[Chess Pwn]

1)I'm not sure why you're having a hard time hitting them, but the damage is cut in half.
2)no
3)not that I know of
4)The only way I know of is having a ghost touched weapon.

[Nox Aeterna]

4. I believe there is also the ghost salt blanch.

[Atarlost]

The halved damage is correct. Only the ghost touch property, holy water, and force effects do full damage. Nonmagical weapons do absolutely nothing.

The miss chance is not correct. Incorporeals should only receive a miss chance against non-damaging spell effects unless they are also invisible, and see invisibility or a successful glitterdust or faerie fire (which itself has a 50% miss chance) will negate it.

None of the Bestiary 1 incorporeals are invisible. A ghost can be, but only if the thing it was a ghost of was invisible (or was able to become invisible, eg. a sorcerer).

[Paulicus]

Various items give ghost-touch effects to weapons. Ghost salt and elixir of spirit sight come to mind.

[Weables]

your DM is probably confusing 3.5 (where it WAS a 50% miss chance, but damage wasnt halved) with pathfinder (half dmg, no miss chance) and giving you the worst of both worlds.

Its a pretty common mistake if you came from 3.5 to be confused about this issue

[Nefreet]

Incorporeal Subtype

Your GM could be confusing the sentence "Corporeal spells and effects that do not cause damage only have a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal creature" and applying the miss chance to everything.