according to RAW, if you shoot a magic missle at an ethereal target, it will work. is the converse true? in other words, if you are ethereal, will a magic missle directed at a material target work?
Quote from: tleilaxuaccording to RAW, if you shoot a magic missle at an ethereal target, it will work. is the converse true? in other words, if you are ethereal, will a magic missle directed at a material target work?
There's nothing either way.
Personally, I've ruled that force spells can affect the ethereal from the prime and vice-versa, explaining them away as created during the Undead War.
there is a new feat coming out called transdimensional spell, which is a neat little feat. for +1 spell level, your fireball can toast ghosts. according to the way it is written, however, the converse doesn't work. i think this is dumb. as i have come up with the idea for a really cool NPC wizard based around the idea of mastering etherealness and force.
Force effects bleed into the etheral plane when cast on the prime material, the opposite is also true according to logic. Thus if you cast a Wall of Force on the etheral plane, it shows up on the material plane as well. Thus logic dictates that if you are etheral and cast magic missile, it will affect someone on the material plane.
As for the transdimensional spell metamagic feat, I would houserule that it works both ways.
Actually, no. From what I have constated first-hand, Force effects project from the Material Plane to the Ethereal, but from the Ethereal only to the Ethereal.
Force effects, if you want, are ethereal by nature; but when invoking them on the material plane, you give them a material quality.
Here are the words of explorators Djay Fgrubh, Broussar-Caurdel, and Dev-Nou-Nan as they recorded in their Manual of the Planes, page 54:
* Opens a dusty tome *
No Magical Attacks ever crosseth from the Æthereal Plane to the Prima Mattera, this unvariable rule dost include Force Attacks.
You can also check this out in this more commonly available document:
* Hands over a heavy scroll (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#etherealness) *
While Ottomsoh of the Schtick might have the official ruling, it makes sense to me that force effects simply exist in both the material and the ethereal planes simultaneously, no matter which plane they originate from.
Quote from: Ottomsoh the ElderlyActually, no. From what I have constated first-hand, Force effects project from the Material Plane to the Ethereal, but from the Ethereal only to the Ethereal.
Force effects, if you want, are ethereal by nature; but when invoking them on the material plane, you give them a material quality.
Here are the words of explorators Djay Fgrubh, Broussar-Caurdel, and Dev-Nou-Nan as they recorded in their Manual of the Planes, page 54:
* Opens a dusty tome *
No Magical Attacks ever crosseth from the Æthereal Plane to the Prima Mattera, this unvariable rule dost include Force Attacks.
You can also check this out in this more commonly available document:
* Hands over a heavy scroll (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#etherealness) *
Ah, I'd missed that little bit.
Of course, this is from the same people that swear it's impossible to shoot an Barrett sniper rifle farther than 1200 feet. (10 range increments is the max range, unless that's been errata'd.)
I dare say dimensional interactions are the apple to balistics' orange.
The reason force effects only go into the ethereal and not out of, is balance. If you could chuck force effects at material opponents while still being ethereal yourself, they would basically not have any recourse to dealing with you unless they have force effects or can go ethereal themselves. Since force effects tend to be inferior to other effects against material opponents, most people don't have access to all that many of them - especially not people like fighters.
Quote from: DackeThe reason force effects only go into the ethereal and not out of, is balance. If you could chuck force effects at material opponents while still being ethereal yourself, they would basically not have any recourse to dealing with you unless they have force effects or can go ethereal themselves. Since force effects tend to be inferior to other effects against material opponents, most people don't have access to all that many of them - especially not people like fighters.
yeah. but it would be really fun to play a wizard who specialized in just such a thing. it would sure make the transitive planes more interesting.
Because sneaking in and spying is not interesting...