[3.5] Force descriptor

[Snake-Aes]

Some spells have the force descriptor, some deal outright force damage, and Force, overall, is useful against incorporeal.

Is there anything more to it? Does it mess with DR? Does it mess with ethereals/astral(how these planes interact with incorporeals is messy)? Energy Resistance?

Namely, my incarnate can use the Crystal Helmet. What does the bind effect give him?

[Prime32]

Only physical damage is affected by DR.

Force effects on the Material Plane reach into the Ethereal Plane, but not vice-versa.

Energy resistance is against a specific type (fire/cold/acid/electricity/sonic) and would no more protect you from force damage than it would block healing.

[Snake-Aes]

So a force-boosted physical attack is still physical, subject to dr and reaching into the ethereal?

[KillianHawkeye]

Only physical damage is affected by DR.

Force effects on the Material Plane reach into the Ethereal Plane, but not vice-versa.

Energy resistance is against a specific type (fire/cold/acid/electricity/sonic) and would no more protect you from force damage than it would block healing.

That pretty much sums it up.

Also, the [Force] descriptor doesn't do anything on it's own. It is (as you might imagine) merely a description indicating that the spell involves magical Force.



EDIT:

Your melee attacks gain the force descriptor, making them useful against incorporeal foes.

It says what it does right there. The damage is still subject to DR because having the force descriptor doesn't change the damage type. The attack deals its normal damage.


Even when struck by magic or magic weapons, an incorporeal creature has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source—except for a force effect or damage dealt by a ghost touch weapon.

Your attacks are now force effects. They are otherwise unchanged.

[Person_Man]

The combo you are looking for is:

Crystal Helm (bound to Crown): All attacks have Force descriptor.

+

Apparition Ribbon (bound to Throat): Can become Incorporeal for Meldshaper level rounds per day. You're immune to non-magic attacks (although enemies with DR/magic, magic weapons, or magic can still harm you), enemies attacking you have a 50% miss chance (against everything but Force/Ghost Touch/etc, but you don't suffer the miss chance thanks to Crystal Helm), gain a Deflection bonus to AC = to your Cha bonus, can move through enemies, walls, and other solid objects, cannot be Tripped or Grappled, etc.

+

Lots of natural attacks (from Totemist soulmelds)

OR

Incarnate Weapon + Incarnum Radiance: Very large bonuses To-Hit and Damage (if Evil).


It's a pretty useful defensive combo for an Incarnate 14+ or Whatever 1/Totemist 2/Incarnate 4/Necrocarnate 8 (ECL 15). But they've got so many other defensive abilities that I usually skip it for other things.

[PlzBreakMyCmpAn]

Crystal Helm (bound to Crown): All attacks have Force descriptor.Whoa, whoa wait. Could you then attack a force cage and get out??

[Prime32]

Whoa, whoa wait. Could you then attack a force cage and get out??No. Forcecages don't have hitpoints. You can't destroy them with magic missiles either.

[hamishspence]

Some creatures associated with Force, like the Force dragon, are immune to it and have the ability to pass through any Force effect.

Most don't though- so gaining the Force descriptor on your attacks, wouldn't make them pass through Force effects.

Hmm- Brilliant Energy passes through anything nonliving- if you had a living creature right up next to a Wall of Force, could you stab it with a Brilliant Energy weapon?

[Snake-Aes]

Some creatures associated with Force, like the Force dragon, are immune to it and have the ability to pass through any Force effect.

Most don't though- so gaining the Force descriptor on your attacks, wouldn't make them pass through Force effects.

Hmm- Brilliant Energy passes through anything nonliving- if you had a living creature right up next to a Wall of Force, could you stab it with a Brilliant Energy weapon?

Good enough. It'll let me slap a large ham that thinks got me captured.

[Prime32]

Use forcecage on yourself, then draw a brilliant energy bow...

[hamishspence]

It says it ignores "non-living matter" and armour enhancement bonuses, but it doesn't ignore deflection bonuses.

If walls of force are not matter, but more like the deflection effect of a ring of protection- turned up to infinity, then it wouldn't work.

While I like the notion, I suspect a DM would probably say "it's magic, not matter" and not allow it to pass through.

[Bagel]

now if you cast an Invisible wall of stone and pull your brilliant bow, then your having fun.