[3.5] Questions about ghosts

[Captain Cap]

1) In the Ethereal Plane a ghost is not incorporeal, but two of the special attacks are based on "its incorporeal touch". Does this mean that a ghost can't use his touch attacks on ethereal beings? But then why does the manual mentions the use of Str modifier against ethereal opponents? Shouldn't a creature be considered ethereal only when it resides in the Ethereal Plane (with the "partial" exception of ghosts and similar, but they're surely not living beings)?

2) The feat Ghostly Grasp lets the ghost use corporeal items as he wasn't incorporeal: so can he benefits from, for example, drinking potions? And what happens when he casts a spell from a scroll or a wand? Does the spell still affects ethereal beings, or is it considered as it was casted from the Material Plane?

[The Viscount]

The "Manifestation" ability of ghosts addresses most of this.

1 A ghost interacts with other creatures on the Ethereal plane as if they were both normal corporeal creatures. This is true whether they are manifested or not. Against Ethereal opponents, the ghost is not incorporeal. As such it has the strength score of the original creature. As seen in the sample ghost's entry, it keeps its incorporeal touch attack against Ethereal foes. As the entry says, it uses Str for attack and damage vs ethereal foes.

2. I believe potions would be under the umbrella of ghostly grasp allowing you to use items. The item would stay on the material plane, so doesn't affect creatures on the Ethereal.

[Captain Cap]

Thank you for the answer!
An other question: if a ghost successfully uses Malevolence on a material being, is he still considered manifested (or ethereal, regarding the interaction with other ethereal beings and his touch spells on material targets)? I would say no, since he loses his supernatural abilities and, I suppose, his "ghost status", becoming a full-fledged material being, but I'm not completely sure.

[Jack_Simth]

Thank you for the answer!
An other question: if a ghost successfully uses Malevolence on a material being, is he still considered manifested (or ethereal, regarding the interaction with other ethereal beings and his touch spells on material targets)? I would say no, since he loses his supernatural abilities and, I suppose, his "ghost status", becoming a full-fledged material being, but I'm not completely sure.

They vanish into the target, which is an interesting way of avoiding someone who's hunting you on the Ethereal.