Concerning Armored Ghosts

[BRC]

So, if a Ghost is wearing armor when does the Ghost get to apply their armor bonus to AC. Do they use it all the time, or just against Ghost Touch Weapons, or just against ethereal creatures, or what?

[Keld Denar]

There is no rule for it, even if the ghost appears to be wearing armor, they don't receive any benefit from it. A ghosts AC is determined only by its dex and cha modifiers, along with any spells it may have cast.

That said, a ghost could wear a suit of ghost touch armor, which is a +3 enhancement on armor, which would cost at least 16,000 + base cost of armor.

[Tsotha-lanti]

It'd function against ethereal creatures, same as natural armor.

Armor Class: Natural armor is the same as the base creature’s but applies only to ethereal encounters. When the ghost manifests (see below), its natural armor bonus is +0, but it gains a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma modifier or +1, whichever is higher.

Ghostly Equipment

When a ghost forms, all its equipment and carried items usually become ethereal along with it. In addition, the ghost retains 2d4 items that it particularly valued in life (provided they are not in another creature’s possession). The equipment works normally on the Ethereal Plane but passes harmlessly through material objects or creatures. A weapon of +1 or better magical enhancement, however, can harm material creatures when the ghost manifests, but any such attack has a 50% chance to fail unless the weapon is a ghost touch weapon (just as magic weapons can fail to harm the ghost).