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The RAW for the Opportune Parry deed seems to indicate that a swashbuckler can parry an incorporeal attack, such as a ghost's Corrupting touch, even with a non-magical weapon.

Considering this kind of attack is a contact attack, ignore all corporeal defenses, and considering that ghosts ignore non-magical weapons, I find it a bit problematic.

Is there something in RAW that I am missing, that would prevent a swashbuckler from parrying an incorporeal attack, or at least make it more difficult?

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2 Answers 2

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http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/hybrid-classes/swashbuckler#TOC-Deeds

Opportune Parry and Riposte (Ex) : At 1st level, when an opponent makes a melee attack against the swashbuckler, she can spend 1 panache point and expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity...

(emphasis mine)

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/rules-for-monsters/universal-monster-rules#TOC-Incorporeal-Ex-

An incorporeal creature has no physical body. It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all nonmagical attack forms. Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, it takes only half damage from a corporeal source (except for channel energy). ... Corporeal spells and effects that do not cause damage only have a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal creature.

(emphasis mine)

So, Parrying is an attack (based on the fact that it requires an attack roll), and the incorporeal creature is immune to nonmagical attacks. Therefore, RAW seems to be that a nonmagical weapon could not successfully parry an incorporeal attack.

A Parry, however, does not harm the creature, so so a magic weapon would seem to have a 50% chance of parrying.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ You need to back up your claim that the presence of an attack roll makes this an attack. \$\endgroup\$
    – KRyan
    Jan 25, 2015 at 18:30
  • \$\begingroup\$ d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat#TOC-Attack-Roll "An attack roll represents your attempt to strike your opponent on your turn in a round." \$\endgroup\$
    – minnmass
    Jan 25, 2015 at 19:23
  • \$\begingroup\$ except in this case, it doesn't represent that at all. You're rolling an attack to accomplish something else entirely. \$\endgroup\$
    – KRyan
    Jan 25, 2015 at 19:50
  • \$\begingroup\$ "If it looks like a duck..." It's still an attack, except that the result isn't damage. The parry still gets the advantages of an attack (enhancement bonus, feats, etc.) and would be subject to the other effects (concealment, incorporeal, using an action, ...). I see nothing that would change that. \$\endgroup\$
    – minnmass
    Jan 25, 2015 at 22:30
  • \$\begingroup\$ Actually I think the main point is that the parry completely falls into the category of "corporeal effects that do not cause damage", no matter whether it's an attack or not, good call \$\endgroup\$ Jan 26, 2015 at 20:27
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The opportune parry is treated "as if she were making an attack of opportunity"; it seems like if you can't take an AoO against the incoming attack (say, because it's incorporeal) then you can't parry it. It also appears to be in line with RAI at least to add a miss chance if the swashbuckler is using a magical, but not ghost touch, weapon to parry an incorporeal attack. (In previous editions, the miss chance would have been RAW, too...)

Likewise, a swashbuckler should not be permitted to parry attacks by invisible creatures, attacks from creatures he is unaware of, any attack while flatfooted (without the Combat Reflexes feat or similar), or any other attack where he couldn't AoO the attacking creature or its weapon. (As a side note, the only two times I can think of where "the attacking creature or its weapon" should give different results for the creature and the weapon is in the case of reach weapons, where the weapon comes into the swashbuckler's reach despite the wielder staying safely away, and the case of a ghost touch weapon being used by an incorporeal creature, so the swashbuckler can swat the weapon away but not touch the wielder.)

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