Avoiding Gaze Attacks

[sfedi]

When avoiding a Gaze Attack, averting eyes, or closing your eyes, is reactive to the attack, or it must be done in your turn (i.e. is it an inmediate action or a free action)?

This is the description of Gaze

And here is the description for Gaze Attacks

In particular, this piece of text that puzzles me is:

Opponents can avoid the need to make the saving throw by not looking at the creature, in one of two ways.

So when can the opponent choose?
In his turn? Or when he is attacked?

 

[lukelightning]

I'd say that you have to do it on your turn. That rewards characters with a high initiative bonus in situations like "surprise, there's a bodak in your closet!"

 

[hong]

Ditto on your turn.

 

[sfedi]

I'd say that you have to do it on your turn. That rewards characters with a high initiative bonus in situations like "surprise, there's a bodak in your closet!"

If a player wins initiative at 30 ft of a Bodak as you say, he must roll a Fort save onthe beginning of his turn, no matter how early he acts.

Each opponent within range of a gaze attack must attempt a saving throw each round at the beginning of his or her turn in the initiative order.

So he can´t avoid the need for a save even if he wins initiative.