Disintegrate a ghost

[no good scallywag]

I'm just checking because it's not 100% clear.

Does a ghost get resistance to the disintegrate spell? What kind of damage is being done? It would appear to be "magical" damage.

[HammerJack]

Disintegrate is weird. It has no damage type. There isn't, as far as I know, any kind of clarification somewhere that you've missed that would give it a damage type.

It's a spell so it's definitely magical.

Since a ghost resists all damage except for specific types, it resists Disintegrate. It does not get the double resistance it would have against non-magical damage.

[breithauptclan]

It is somewhat strange that Disintegrate doesn't list a type of damage. Since it is a spell, it would definitely have the Magical trait, so the ghost wouldn't get double its damage reduction.

But since disintegrate doesn't list its damage as force damage (the most likely damage type IMO), then it wouldn't bypass the ghost's damage resistance entirely.

Edit: ninja'd.

[beowulf99]

breithauptclan wrote:

It is somewhat strange that Disintegrate doesn't list a type of damage. Since it is a spell, it would definitely have the Magical trait, so the ghost wouldn't get double its damage reduction.

But since disintegrate doesn't list its damage as force damage (the most likely damage type IMO), then it wouldn't bypass the ghost's damage resistance entirely.

Edit: ninja'd.

It's actually almost more like "anti-Force", whatever that would be since it automatically destroys force constructs and the like. If it was Force damage, then a Ghost wouldn't get said resistance, since ghosts get resistance to all damage except force, ghost touch, etc...

I agree with the above that a Ghost or other incorporeal gets their basic resistance against the damage. It's just "damage". Which kind of fits when you think about it. It's a spell that deals damage of an un-identifiable type that seeks to... well disintegrate whatever it hits. A type would just muddle what the spell is trying to do imo.

[Pixel Popper]

Disintegrate does not list a damage type, but it is magical. Ergo, Ghosts' resistance to "all damage" applies but is not doubled.

[breithauptclan]

beowulf99 wrote:

breithauptclan wrote:

It is somewhat strange that Disintegrate doesn't list a type of damage. Since it is a spell, it would definitely have the Magical trait, so the ghost wouldn't get double its damage reduction.

But since disintegrate doesn't list its damage as force damage (the most likely damage type IMO), then it wouldn't bypass the ghost's damage resistance entirely.

Edit: ninja'd.

It's actually almost more like "anti-Force", whatever that would be since it automatically destroys force constructs and the like.

I have always thought of it as a type of force damage. Instead of one big burst of force damage like a Magic Missile or Force Missile, it is a bajillion tiny bursts of force damage that try to rip apart on a molecular level whatever they contact. Which is why it is so effective on other force magic constructs - equal and opposite forces and all that.

But that is all flavor anyway.

[Nefreet]

I kind of like that its damage type is unlisted.

Then that leaves room for some rare or unique creature to simply have an ability that grants immunity to or reduces damage specifically from disintegrate.