as the title suggests, I had the party encounter an Elder Black Pudding tonight. There was some questions as to it's Acid (Ex) ability (amid the torrents of tears and bitching over potentially dissolved gear). If the character in questions fails the Reflex save (especially when rolling a Nat 1) do magic items count as clothing?
That is, does the phrase "the opponent's armor and clothing dissolve and become useless immediately unless they succeed on DC 21 Reflex saves" apply to wondrous items that are worn on the body? Jewelry? Bags of Holding? Is the definition of "clothing" in this instance just undefined?
I referred to pg 165 in the PH concerning items and saving throws. It refers to magic items always making saving throws, using the wielder/wearer's save bonus. Fine, if the magic items are considered clothing, they get saves. On page 177 it refers to items making saves after you make a nat 1 against a magical attack. If this ability is (Ex) is it considered a magical attack? Would it matter? Would that cause two saves for each item?
i'm probably not going to fuck the players as hard as I could, given the worst possible interpretation (that all magic items worn on the body count as clothing and thus each need to save or be destroyed after the character's initial failed Ref). i'll probably use the random item table on pg 177 to determine a single item that needs to make a save or be dissolved, but I'm interested to hear how others would handle it.
To answer your questions, the characters themselves don't actually make saves against the pudding's acid. Only their items do. Magic items have saving throw bonuses equal to 2 + 1/2 caster level. They can also use their wielder's save bonuses instead, if they are better. Non-magical items only get to use their owner's save bonuses.
It doesn't matter if the acid is a magical attack or not, in this case. Since the character never makes a saving throw, he or she cannot get a natural 1. It might only matter if the character's items are, themselves, wearing clothing or wielding weapons.
Clothing isn't properly defined in the rules. I'd say to just go with what's obvious (cloaks, gloves, boots, shirts, helmets, etc.). Jewelry should probably be included. Personally, I'd include all equipped items other than slotless ones (like Ioun Stones), non-equipped items (like backpacks, bags of holding, potions on belts, although the belts might dissolve away) and things that are vital to the character's continuation (spell component pouches, holy symbols, any backup weapons not actively being employed).
The whole save or have your items destroyed thing is one of many holdovers from 1st and 2nd edition. Back then, every item was just a saving throw away from being destroyed. Heck, if you failed your saving throw against more common magics (and not just on a 1), like Fireballs and Lightning Bolts, your items needed to make saves or be destroyed, too (although that may have been a house rule on my group's part). Items didn't have hit points, just a successful or failed save.
A more evolved version of this kind of ability can be found on the Babau. Every hit against it requires a reflex save or the attacking weapon takes acid damage, ignoring hardness. I'd try to use something like that instead. It feels less binary and luck-based. You'd still be able to lose items from bad decisions and a few unlucky rolls, but you won't wind up naked after rolling poorly in a surprise round or anything like that.
