Attacking while ethereal?

[Leicontis]

I know that the Ninja base class can attack while ethereal using their Ghost Strike ability. Is there any other way for an ethereal creature to attack material creatures? I know force effects from the Ethereal Plane don't extend into the Material, but what about Ghost Touch weapons? I think there's a metamagic feat that allows it, but I'm looking for something that could be done by a non-caster.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

A ghost touch weapon does not help in any situation involving ethereal creatures, unless that creature is a manifested ghost (which puts the ghost half on the Material Plane). It's benefits only come into play when fighting incorporeal creatures.

I know of no particular abilities that extend from the Ethereal Plane to the Material. At least not off the top of my head.

[TheOOB]

Force effects, such as magic missile and spiritual weapon, as well as spells effected by the transdimensional spell metamagic feat (compleate arcane) allow creatures on the material to attack etheral creatures, but I can't think of anything that works the other way around.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Hm.

I thought that Transdimensional Spell was supposed to cross boundaries on any coexistent plane. Now that I look it up, I see that though the short description implies just that, the full description only mentions spreading to Ethereal, Shadow, and extradimensional spaces as well as affecting incorporeal creatures without penalty.

Of course, I think the short description probably captures the intent of the feat, but the Benefit section was written from the assumption that that the caster is on the Material Plane. Pretty silly assumption to make, but it definitely fits in with the other humanoid-and-Material-centric assumptions scattered throughout the rules.

Of course, in the standard cosmology, I don't think there are any planes with coexistence outside of the Material and the ones mentioned above. But, in 3e, the designers have treated the standard cosmology as "default but officially optional," even going out of the way to publish other variant cosmologys. Since the rules actively encourage variant cosmology's, it's poor design to write generic rules that rely so heavily on the optional default.

[martyboy74]

Actually, Ghost Touch weapons do help. All you have to do is drop the weapon on the ground, Plane Shift to the the ethereal plane, and pick it up. You now have a sword on the material plane being wielding by an ethereal creature.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Actually, Ghost Touch weapons do help. All you have to do is drop the weapon on the ground, Plane Shift to the the ethereal plane, and pick it up. You now have a sword on the material plane being wielding by an ethereal creature.

Contrary to the blink spell description, being ethereal is not the same as being incorporeal. You would be unable to pick up the weapon from the etheral plane.