[3.5] Becoming Incorporeal Using Spells

[Thurbane]

What's the earliest ECL a character can achieve becoming (temporarily) incorporeal, using their own spells?

So, not relying on items, gear, minions, creatures, SLAs, class features other than spells, or the spells of others - literally only using your own spells that you cast.

Ghostform is Sor/Wiz 8...but surely there must be some spell, or combo of spells, that can achieve this earlier?

Official 3.0/3.5 sources preferred: no PF, no homebrew please.

Cheers - T

[Venger]

Permeable form is a level 3 sorcerer/wizard spell, so probably level 5.

[Thurbane]

Permeable form is a level 3 sorcerer/wizard spell, so probably level 5.

Nice.

Only lasts 1 round, so happy to see if there are other options, too.

[edit] Eladrin Form (BoED) is Sor/Wiz 7, and lasts 1 round/level. [edit]

[sreservoir]

Permeable form (LoM 129), sor/wiz 3, 1 round duration, Personal range so you should be able to finagle a persist if you're into that.

There's also spirit self (wu jen 5, CA 123) but that separates you from your body instead of making your body incorporeal.

[Venger]

The 3.0 version of ghostform was only a 5th level spell and lasted 1 minute/lvl, which is much more reasonable. Since you're the gm, you could allow the existence of this through the spell research ability of wizard.

You can't actually do anything, but dream sight is a 6th with access to the dream domain or a 7 with the onieromancy feat, which is still a little earlier than ghostform and useful if you just need to scout.

Spirit self is a wu jen 5 which also limits you to scouting and has a magic jar-like leash that may kill you if you get too far from your body. Interestingly, you can still crudely puppet your body to make it follow your incorporeal spirit to keep itself in range.

Shadow phase (sor/wiz 3, assassin 4) makes you kind of incorporeal, which may suit your needs.

[ShurikVch]

Dream Sight is 4th-level spell for Shaman in Oriental Adventures

[Doctor Despair]

I know you're asking for spells, but a Dragonborn of Bahamut (template, LA+0) Telthor (template, LA+2) gives you the incorporeal subtype, so not for nothing, it's available with 100% uptime at level 3.

I suppose any other template that grants some sort of fast healing or regeneration would also work in place of Dragonborn here, although I don't know any LA0 ones off the top of my head.

[Venger]

That's a clever combo. There is no la0 race/template that confers fast healing/regen of 1 hp a minute or better, and the normal go-to of necropolitan with black sand in their shoes cannot work here since it can't be applied to fey and telthor can't be applied to undead.

[The Viscount]

If you're interested in other methods,

Binding the Apparition Ribbon to your throat chakra gives you incorporeality for a few rounds at a time, up to [meldshaper level] rounds per day, though also pretty late to come on, 14 for incarnates, or 17 if you use the open greater chakra feat.

[Ramza00]

With Permeable Form (wizard / sorc 3), remember you can do a lesser metamagic rod of extend thus making 1 round into 2 rounds. And you can always cast the spell multiple times per combat since it is sexy immediate action. Thus 1 rod of extend lesser is 3k and together with 3 castings of the spell we are talking 6 rounds per day.

Likewise Complete Mage has the Rainbow Falls. Once a day after activating this magical location, you can make a transmutation spell have triple the duration. Thus a 1 round spell is now 3 rounds. Throw in the rod of extend lesser it should be 4 rounds since 3x + 2x = 4x with how the stacking works with 3.5 if I recall.

[One Step Two]

I don't know if this counts, but a 5th level Artificer using the 3rd level Infusion Greater Armor Enhancement to apply the Etherealness (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm#etherealness) quality to their amour, allowing them to become Ethereal for an indefinite time 1/day. Not the same as incorporeal I know, but similar effects, and great for infiltration purposes.

[Khedrac]

And, although it's not spells, we should mention in passing the following:

Spirit Shaman level 9 ability Spirit Form

Ninja level 10 ability Ghost Step (though this is ethereal not incorporeal).

[mabriss lethe]

There's always the Ghostwalk's version of the Ghost template. aside from that, The Egoist/PsyWar 3 power Ectoplasmic form is not exactly incorporeality, but it's close.

If Mysteries (and general ToM analogs) count as spells, Umbral Body grants incorporeality a level 8 master path mystery, Truenamer can become Ethereal as a level 6 utterance, and Binders have limited access to etherealness via Chupoclops as a level 6 vestige.