Touch AC armor vs Incorporeal.

[SangoProduction]

So, if you found a way to make your armor / shield apply to touch attacks, incorporeal creatures can still ignore it, yes? Because the rules say nothing about turning their attacks in to touch attacks (even though the follow the typical AC targeting of them). It merely says they ignore armor and shield (and more) bonuses to AC.

I originally took this as spelling out that this is what it means for their attacks to be touch attacks, but looking closer, it never mentions touch attacks at all.

[Crake]

If you look at their attacks they're "incorporeal touch"

[emeraldstreak]

Knight Disciple.

[SangoProduction]

If you look at their attacks they're "incorporeal touch"

I was talking about the subtype, rather than any specific creatures, which calls out that their attacks ignore armor, etc.

[Psyren]

It depends on the method you found; could you be more specific?

[Florian]

incorporeal creatures can still ignore it, yes?

Yes, because that is a function of being Incorporeal. You need ghost touch or Force.

[stack]

It depends on the method you found; could you be more specific?

Based on previous threads recently, I would assume the Spheres of Might Shield Sphere talent Deflecting Shield, which says:

"Your shield bonus to AC applies against touch attacks."

[Psyren]

That question would be most usefully aimed at the author(s) of SoM to divine their intent. Personally I would say that it applies to any touch attack, incorporeal or not, but not to incorporeal attacks that are not described as "touch."

[Florian]

Based on previous threads recently, I would assume the Spheres of Might Shield Sphere talent Deflecting Shield, which says:

"Your shield bonus to AC applies against touch attacks."

Hah, that's the kind of formulation that you get when an author had something specific in mind ("Use a shield against magic ray attacks? Sounds cool"), but used broad system technical terms for it.

[stack]

The intent is that the world's AC applies to touch AC. 'AC against touch attacks' is the same thing, since AC is irrelevant if an attack roll isn't being made. Ad the author, I do not see a general ambiguity there, just the ambiguity that stems from the incorporeal wording.

Not sure why incorporeal doesnt just say that they make touch attacks. The specific wording of ignoring shields, if it is not called out as a touch attack specifically, would mean it bypasses the shield regardless in my reading.