rules question please help

[jbuggenz1]

Currently my group is fighting some shadows. because they are incorporal creatures only magic or magic weapons can hurt them. Damage that comes from magic from a corporeal being has a 50 % chance of being ignored. Here is the debate... Our cleric is using a searing light spell our dm says that the creature gets to use the 50 % rule because the cleric is a corporeal creature. We say that unlike a wizard or sorcerer whose power comes from within a cleric is chaneling power from a god or diety not from within so doesnt his power come from an incorporal being? Shouldnt it be excluded from the 50 % rule?

[Valiente]

That actually should be covered somewhere.

As per spell description (in 3.5) it does mention that UNDEAD particularly vulnerable to light take increased damage. Since I don't recall what categories Shadows fall into, they may or may NOT take increased damage. Also, there is spell resistance, which might have some effect--like I said, I don't know for certain because I don't have my MM handy.

Beyond that mention of Undead, I don't see why the 50% miss chance would be excluded from the spell. You'd likely have to make that a house rule that ALL divine spells worked as such, which would kind of munchkinize the game a bit, IMO.

...but...if you guys are fighting Shadows at a level where a cleric can cast Searing Light....just have them cast Magic Weapon, LoL

EDIT---After conferring with some of my friends, experienced DMs and players alike, it was concluded that the 50% miss chance STILL applies, though searing light WOULD do extra damage to a Shadow, which is undead, and may even do more if it's subject to light sensitivity.

[TheEponymousOne]

"Shadows are creatures of living darkness [but they're undead?], hating life and light with equal fervor." ~3E MM
No mention of light sensitivity, though they'd undoubtedly attack anyone casting any light related spells at them as a priority target, if your DM is adhering to the monster descriptions and all that noise.

Aye. Magic weapon, or just Turn them... they've only got 3HD and they should be subject to it.

[Shadow Dragon]

Shadows are immpossible to affect without magick. What I determined for my campaigns from how it was phrased, is that magickal, corporeal attacks (a +1 greatsword, for example) suffer 50% miss chance. Energy attacks are exempt from this miss chance. Since fire, frost, light, sonic, electricity, ect. are all energy, the shadow would not get its miss chance. Thats my opinion.

I agree with TheEponymousOne, just turn the little buggers. Less hassle.