[3.5] How DFA does slow breath work?

[Chronikoce]

Quick question for you guys. When Dragonfire adept uses a slow breath instead of normal breath attack, the enemies who are in the area make a fortitude save and on a successful save they are slowed for 1 round (failed save 2 round slow).

How does this ability work when someone hit by a slow breath has evasion? Do targets still roll a reflex save to avoid breath attack, then if they are hit by breath they make the fort save? Or does this breath attack somehow automatically hit everyone and evasion is useless?

[Eloel]

Fluff-wise; the breath, instead of being a blaze, is more cloud-like, which means everyone is affected by it. You can still Mettle out of it, though since there's no Reflex save, there's no Evasion.

[Troacctid]

Evasion only works on effects that allow a Reflex save for half damage. Slow Breath does not allow a Reflex save for half damage.

[Eloel]

Also worth mentioning is that Evasion only says you avoid the half damage you'd otherwise take. It does not say, nor imply, that you don't get hit - just that you don't get hurt. It might mean you cover your face/turn your back fast enough that whatever would have damaged you does not.

[Almarck]

RAW written, evasion does not cover Slow breath or any other non damaging breath at all. Additionally, any breath weapons or spells that do not take a reflex save to pass also go through through evasion and improved evasion as well.

Fluffwise, such attacks tend to be instantaneous or spread out.

[Chronikoce]

Thanks! My player will be happy to hear that.