Can incorporeal creatures be grabbed?
Get a Ghost Touch rune on handwraps.
Normally: no.
Ever: yes, there is a way, in the Ghost Wrangler feat.
Handwraps with ghost touch: not by the rules in the book, though I've seen a number if people run allow that as a houserule.
Handwraps with ghost touch: not by the rules in the book
It is clear enough ghost touch works.
Handwraps with ghost touch: not by the rules in the bookIt is clear enough ghost touch works.
Seriously?! How so?
The Ghost Touch effect only says that incorporeal creatures can be harmed by weapons with the rune effect on them. It never removes the restriction on using Strength based skill actions against them.
So why would a Flail with a Ghost Touch rune be able to trip a ghost? Why would a character with handwraps with a Ghost Touch rune be able to trip a ghost?
As Hammerjack pointed out, the Ghost Wrangler feat allows you to grapple and trip a ghost because in addition to giving the effects of Ghost Touch on your fists (and specifically your fist attack, not any other unarmed attack you may have), it also overrides the restriction and explicitly allows you to use strength based skill checks against incorporeal creatures.
It's in the Incorporeal trait definition. Look for the word "likewise"
Likewise, a corporeal creature can’t attempt Strength-based checks against incorporeal creatures or objects.
Still not seeing where an object with ghost touch can be used to make strength-based skill checks against an incorporeal creature.
The sentence previous to that:
An incorporeal creature can’t attempt Strength-based checks against physical creatures or objects—only against incorporeal ones—unless those objects have the ghost touch property rune.
Makes it so that a ghost can use Force Open on a door that has the Ghost Touch property. Or could trip a creature that somehow put Ghost Touch on their own body - though that is questionable since a creature is not an object even if they have the rune effect.
Incorporeal creatures can touch, hold, and wield ghost touch weapons (unlike most physical objects).
even if there's an edge case not quite covered by the wording, the intent is clear that incorporeal creatures phase through matter that doesn't have ghost touch. That's what's reflected by the restriction on strength based checks. An incorporeal creature doesn't get to interact to open an unlocked door just because it doesn't require a strength check.
If someone just has ghost touch gauntlets, even if the gauntlet doesn't have the grapple trait, it just makes sense to let them grapple a ghost. They have a physical way to grab it. Let alone a weapon or unarmed attack that actually has the trait in question.Although, I'm not sure about the rune on handwraps if you're not using an unarmed attack that has the trait.
Doors can't have weapon or armor property runes on them. They aren't weapons or armor by the game's definitions. At best, it means a Ghost might be able to Disarm a Ghost Touch weapon (and take it for themselves).
That being said, while the RAW for such a weapon to not work with maneuvers is clear, it seems silly for that to be the case, given the whole point of Ghost Touch weapons is that they are equal parts corporeal and ethereal/incorporeal, which is why Ghosts can interact with it just as much as living beings can (and it's spelled out as such in their rules).
So, if a Ghost can disarm or grab Ghost Touch items, why can't Ghost Touch items grab or disarm Ghosts?
That being said, while the RAW for such a weapon to not work with maneuvers is clear, it seems silly for that to be the case, given the whole point of Ghost Touch weapons is that they are equal parts corporeal and ethereal/incorporeal, which is why Ghosts can interact with it just as much as living beings can (and it's spelled out as such in their rules).
So, if a Ghost can disarm or grab Ghost Touch items, why can't Ghost Touch items grab or disarm Ghosts?
Absolutely.
To be clear, in an actual game as either GM or player, I would definitely expect the game to be run that way.
But the rules for the Incorporeal trait and Ghost Touch are horribly broken under strict RAW. You absolutely cannot make a strength based Strike, Grapple, or Trip action against an Incorporeal creature regardless of Ghost Touch rune or not.
And mostly I am heckling Gortle since he is usually the one arguing that it doesn't work.
Doors can't have weapon or armor property runes on them. They aren't weapons or armor by the game's definitions.
Well, it can be argued that if an object could be used as an improvised weapon or any ability lets you use it as a weapon, you are able to etch weapon fundamental and property runes on them. So you could have a +1 Ghost Touch door.
Pretty sure there's a video that tells us the intention behind improvised weapons with runes; which is, it doesn't apply or benefit from any runes it might possess. Otherwise, the Improvised Pummel feat from the Weapon Improviser dedication makes no sense to include inadequate boosts.
I mean, can you inscribe such runes into a door? Maybe. It would be a neat way to hide loot from would-be adventurers. *Writes that down for future design reference for hiding loot* But would it actually do anything or function in any manner compared to what the rune is meant to affect? No.
(Another issue is that this doesn't make sense if the idea is that they wanted to inscribe the rune into the door to make it do something; if it doesn't do anything, then it makes no sense to do it, which creates a plot hole for a reason to have such a rune inscribed...*Erases previous written point* Well, back to the drawing board, then.)
Indeed. More of the infamous YouTube errata.
In this case I happen to agree with the YouTube video, but that doesn't make me feel that it is any more official than the ones that I don't agree with.