Benejeseret
2007-12-06, 01:57 PM
Seems a silly question doesn't it?
But really...is it the same or is it different?
Here is why it matters.
Many rogue build I have seen rely on a poorly written feat rule: Pierce Magical Concealment.
((why is it poorly written you ask - because its name clearly implies it should work only for concealment, however by RAW its writeup allows any magical percent miss chance to be ignored.))
Which then begs the question - what is any miss chance?
Let us say that there is a magical, guaranteed, 100% miss chance with a 0% chance of hitting..........does Pierce Magical Concealment feat ignore it entirely?
Is something impossible defined by 100% / 0% associated numbers?
The Meat: Being Ethereal, one is unable to interact with the material plane. Ethereal beings see the material (greyed) but pass through it and no physical or magical effects from the ethereal plane can effect the material plane. Thus it is impossible to normally hit something on the material plane. The exception being the Ninja's Ghost Strike which explicitly verbalizes the ability to strike the material plane while ethereal for one standard action.
To me, impossible is impossible. It is not a 100% miss chance....it is in a whole different category.
But others clearly see impossible to hit the material plane as a 100% miss chance....which is then negated by Pierce Magical Concealment.
Why do I think I'm right and why does it matter?
Blink to me reads that 50% of the time you are material and 50% of the time you are ethereal. Thus to me 50% of the time material you strike as normal but 50% it is impossible to strike the material plane at all. Thus your strikes only land 50% of the time (unless you are a ninja using Ghost Strike).
Blink to others means a 50% chance to strike normally on material and a 50% time striking ethereal with a 100% miss chance negated by P.M.C. to mean that every hit always lands.
Does anyone else see my problems with this logic gap?
Planes to me are big deals. The use of P.M.C in this manner to me is like saying, "I throw a splash weapon into that square over there and everything everywhere in ever reality that overlays with all possible existence on this 5' square gets burnt."
This means a ghost on the ethereal plane, a greater shadow on the shadow plane, the goblin on the material plane, a traveller on the astral plane and an infinity of things on an infinity of possible plane ALL get automatically hit because you managed the AC5 to hit the square with P.M.C as a feat.
THEN add in the fact that it is not limited by range, or the type of attack. Thus if you ever get your hands on a nuke, or similar DnD superweapon go straight for P.M.C 'cause oh my god what an infinity of pain you can cast forth onto all realities.
P.S. and don't even go into the other cheese combo with the same misconceptions like the rogue with a ring a blink
and a ghost touched weapon. Ghost touch works on incorporeal...incorporeal is not the same as ethereal and so does not apply to ethereal in any way.
/rant
But really...is it the same or is it different?
Here is why it matters.
Many rogue build I have seen rely on a poorly written feat rule: Pierce Magical Concealment.
((why is it poorly written you ask - because its name clearly implies it should work only for concealment, however by RAW its writeup allows any magical percent miss chance to be ignored.))
Which then begs the question - what is any miss chance?
Let us say that there is a magical, guaranteed, 100% miss chance with a 0% chance of hitting..........does Pierce Magical Concealment feat ignore it entirely?
Is something impossible defined by 100% / 0% associated numbers?
The Meat: Being Ethereal, one is unable to interact with the material plane. Ethereal beings see the material (greyed) but pass through it and no physical or magical effects from the ethereal plane can effect the material plane. Thus it is impossible to normally hit something on the material plane. The exception being the Ninja's Ghost Strike which explicitly verbalizes the ability to strike the material plane while ethereal for one standard action.
To me, impossible is impossible. It is not a 100% miss chance....it is in a whole different category.
But others clearly see impossible to hit the material plane as a 100% miss chance....which is then negated by Pierce Magical Concealment.
Why do I think I'm right and why does it matter?
Blink to me reads that 50% of the time you are material and 50% of the time you are ethereal. Thus to me 50% of the time material you strike as normal but 50% it is impossible to strike the material plane at all. Thus your strikes only land 50% of the time (unless you are a ninja using Ghost Strike).
Blink to others means a 50% chance to strike normally on material and a 50% time striking ethereal with a 100% miss chance negated by P.M.C. to mean that every hit always lands.
Does anyone else see my problems with this logic gap?
Planes to me are big deals. The use of P.M.C in this manner to me is like saying, "I throw a splash weapon into that square over there and everything everywhere in ever reality that overlays with all possible existence on this 5' square gets burnt."
This means a ghost on the ethereal plane, a greater shadow on the shadow plane, the goblin on the material plane, a traveller on the astral plane and an infinity of things on an infinity of possible plane ALL get automatically hit because you managed the AC5 to hit the square with P.M.C as a feat.
THEN add in the fact that it is not limited by range, or the type of attack. Thus if you ever get your hands on a nuke, or similar DnD superweapon go straight for P.M.C 'cause oh my god what an infinity of pain you can cast forth onto all realities.
P.S. and don't even go into the other cheese combo with the same misconceptions like the rogue with a ring a blink
and a ghost touched weapon. Ghost touch works on incorporeal...incorporeal is not the same as ethereal and so does not apply to ethereal in any way.
/rant