Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DreadWizardDM 04-06-08, 03:03 PM	Hello and thanks for looking. Currently there is an arguement raging in the group as to whether or not Improved Evasion would save a rogue against that stupid epic spell "Crown of Vermin". From the SRD: Evasion (Ex) At 2nd level and higher, a rogue can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the rogue is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of evasion. Improved Evasion (Ex) This ability works like evasion, except that while the rogue still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of improved evasion. Crown Of Vermin Conjuration (Summoning) Spellcraft DC: 56 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Personal Effect: Aura of one thousand insects that surrounds you in a 10-ft.-radius spread Duration: 20 rounds (D) Saving Throw: None (see text) Spell Resistance: No To Develop: 504,000 gp; 11 days; 20,160 XP. Seeds: summon (DC 14), fortify (DC 17). Factors: summon vermin mass instead of one creature (ad hoc +8 DC), grant damage reduction 1/epic (+15 DC), allow mass to move at your speed (ad hoc +2 DC), perfect control of vermin (ad hoc +2 DC). Mitigating factor: change range to personal (-2 DC). After casting crown of vermin, one thousand venomous, biting and stinging spiders, scorpions, beetles, and centipedes erupt from the very air around the character. This swarm forms a living aura around the character to a radius of 10 feet. The character is immune to his or her own crown of vermin. The swarm goes where the character goes at his or her speed, even if the character takes to the air or water (though water drowns the vermin after 1 full round of immersion, unless the spell is cast underwater, in which case aquatic or marine vermin answer the call and cannot leave the water). Each vermin in the crown of vermin bites a creature who enters the area occupied by the effect (or the character forces the effect into an area occupied by another creature) for 1 point of damage, and then dies. Each victim takes enough points of damage to kill it, destroying that number of vermin in the process. Victims get a Reflex saving throw each round to avoid the full press, and if successful, take only 10d10 bites (and 10d10 points of damage). A total of 1,000 points of damage can be dealt to those who fall prey to the crown of vermin. The vermin have damage reduction 1/epic, so the vermin’s natural weapons are treated as epic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. If there aren’t enough vermin to kill all the creatures in the spell’s effect, the creature with the fewest hit points is affected first, then the creature with the second fewest hit points, and so on. After all creatures that can be killed have been killed, any remaining damage is distributed among the survivors equally. The character has utter control over the vermin in his or her aura, and can force them into areas that would normally deter common vermin. The character can completely suppress his or her vermin aura as a free action so that no vermin are visible at all. The time that vermin are suppressed does not count toward the spell’s duration. Alternatively, the character can roughly shape and move the vermin in any fashion he or she desires within the limits of the 10-foot-radius spread as a move-equivalent action. The vermin cannot be wrested from the character’s control through any means. The vermin make all saving throws to avoid damaging effects using the character’s base saving throw bonuses. They gain the character’s spell resistance, if any, and they get saving throws against spells that would otherwise automatically slay vermin. A character can see through his or her crown of vermin without difficulty, but gains one-half concealment against enemy attacks launched both outside and within the character’s crown of vermin. I have highlited some of the key factors of the situation. Under evasion it says that you get no damage. However one mans arguement is that evasion only works if it is "HALF" damage. Other people think that because crown of vermin is a broken epic spell and technically allows a reflex save that evasion should work. Please give your input and help us end this raging arguement. Thanks.
Bauglir 04-06-08, 03:22 PM	The person saying that Evasion only works on things that allow Reflex for Half is correct. Evasion would not apply here because the spell doesn't allow Reflex for half. Effects that are only Reflex Partial do not allow Evasion to negate their effects. In addition, Evasion only applies against things that deal damage, and so a Reflex Half effect that, for instance, allowed the save to halve the duration of a Slow effect, would not allow Evasion to apply either. That bit doesn't matter here, since it deals damage, but is good to keep in mind.