Can incoporeal / ghosts catch on fire

[Jay707]

So if a fire elemental hits a ghost / incoporeal creature, can it catch on fire via burn?

[Ring_of_Gyges]

RAW? No.

Incorporeal wrote:

[an incorporeal creature] can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities.

Natural fire is none of those things, so a ghost can pass through a burning building merrily. Nor is a fire elemental any of those thing. Elementals don't have a rule that makes their attacks "strike as magic weapons". Getting hit by an elemental isn't magic damage. Burn is an extraordinary ability (i.e. non-magical), so the special rule doesn't apply either.

Maybe the rule should be different, and it is a simple house rule if you prefer magic elementals, but by RAW the answer is no.

[Jay707]

Thanks!

[Goddity]

"Never use fire on the undead. The only thing worse than a hoard of bloodthirsty mockeries of life out to eat you is a flaming hoard of bloodthirsty mockeries of life out to eat you."
-Good life advice, paraphrased slightly.

[Ravingdork]

Just imagine if it did work!

"Why'd they set fire to the village, Pa?"

"Because it was a ghost town, son."

:-D

[Goddity]

It would eradicate the haunted buildings quite effectively.

[Coquelicot Dragon]

Jay707 wrote:

So if a fire elemental hits a ghost / incoporeal creature, can it catch on fire via burn?

No, but the fire elemental is already on fire so it's a moot point.

[Philo Pharynx]

If they had DR/Magic, then their attacks could hit incorporeal creatures, but since they are weak and only have DR/-, they cannot harm them.

but burn is still (Ex), so it's normal fire.

[Jay707]

Will grease work on an incoporeal? And if not, if it was used in conjunction with the metamagic feat/rod ectoplasmic would it work then?

[Java Man]

Philo Pharynx wrote:

If they had DR/Magic, then their attacks could hit incorporeal creatures, but since they are weak and only have DR/-, they cannot harm them.

but burn is still (Ex), so it's normal fire.

I thought having DR/magic let you bypass DR/magic, not that it allowed you to count as magic for other purposes as well, am I missing something?

[Koi Eokei]

Ectoplasmic grease...

incorporeal wrote:

Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air. Incorporeal creatures cannot fall or take falling damage. Incorporeal creatures cannot make trip or grapple attacks, nor can they be tripped or grappled. 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. Incorporeal creatures have no weight and do not set off traps that are triggered by weight.

Would the full effect of grease cause the incorporeal to lose his footing when it had none to begin with? No.

[Tacticslion]

So, "Yes, but it doesn't do much." :D

[Harskgunn]

Ring_of_Gyges wrote:

RAW? No.

Incorporeal wrote:

[an incorporeal creature] can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities.

Natural fire is none of those things, so a ghost can pass through a burning building merrily. Nor is a fire elemental any of those thing. Elementals don't have a rule that makes their attacks "strike as magic weapons". Getting hit by an elemental isn't magic damage. Burn is an extraordinary ability (i.e. non-magical), so the special rule doesn't apply either.

Maybe the rule should be different, and it is a simple house rule if you prefer magic elementals, but by RAW the answer is no.

What about a Pyrokineticist using the Burning Infusion? Their kinetic blast is a Spell-Like Ability, would this cause the incorporeal creature to catch on fire?

[Jeraa]

Java Man wrote:

Philo Pharynx wrote:

If they had DR/Magic, then their attacks could hit incorporeal creatures, but since they are weak and only have DR/-, they cannot harm them.

but burn is still (Ex), so it's normal fire.

I thought having DR/magic let you bypass DR/magic, not that it allowed you to count as magic for other purposes as well, am I missing something?

The rules from the Bestiary:

Quote:

Incorporeal (Ex) An incorporeal creature has no physical body. It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all nonmagical attack forms. Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, it takes only half damage from a corporeal source (except for channel energy). Although it is not a magical attack, holy water can affect incorporeal undead. Corporeal spells and effects that do not cause damage only have a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal creature. Force spells and effects, such as from a magic missile, affect an incorporeal creature normally.

[Daw]

Now if good old fashioned hellfire existed in Pathfinder, most ghosts would go up like flash paper.

[Tacticslion]

Goddity wrote:

It would eradicate the haunted buildings quite effectively.

It would!

... the buildings, anyway.

(... but 2d4 days later...)

[Java Man]

Jeraa wrote:

Java Man wrote:

Philo Pharynx wrote:

If they had DR/Magic, then their attacks could hit incorporeal creatures, but since they are weak and only have DR/-, they cannot harm them.

but burn is still (Ex), so it's normal fire.

I thought having DR/magic let you bypass DR/magic, not that it allowed you to count as magic for other purposes as well, am I missing something?

The rules from the Bestiary:

Quote:

Incorporeal (Ex) An incorporeal creature has no physical body. It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all nonmagical attack forms. Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, it takes only half damage from a corporeal source (except for channel energy). Although it is not a magical attack, holy water can affect incorporeal undead. Corporeal spells and effects that do not cause damage only have a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal creature. Force spells and effects, such as from a magic missile, affect an incorporeal creature normally.

And from damage reduction, bestiary universal monster rules on damage reduction /magic " Such creatures' natural weapons (but not their attacks with weapons) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction" I don't see "strikes as a magic weapon."

[dragonhunterq]

Java Man wrote:

Jeraa wrote:

Java Man wrote:

Philo Pharynx wrote:

If they had DR/Magic, then their attacks could hit incorporeal creatures, but since they are weak and only have DR/-, they cannot harm them.

but burn is still (Ex), so it's normal fire.

I thought having DR/magic let you bypass DR/magic, not that it allowed you to count as magic for other purposes as well, am I missing something?

The rules from the Bestiary:

Quote:

Incorporeal (Ex) An incorporeal creature has no physical body. It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all nonmagical attack forms. Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, it takes only half damage from a corporeal source (except for channel energy). Although it is not a magical attack, holy water can affect incorporeal undead. Corporeal spells and effects that do not cause damage only have a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal creature. Force spells and effects, such as from a magic missile, affect an incorporeal creature normally.

And from damage reduction, bestiary universal monster rules on damage reduction /magic " Such creatures' natural weapons (but not their attacks with weapons) are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction" I don't see "strikes as a magic weapon."

FAQ Attacks that count as magic for bypassing DR counts as magic for for affecting incorporeal.

[James Risner]

You can't burn the ghost, but if you can find it's bones then you can burn them.