Question about PK

[praetor]

First, are these two interpretations correct?

If a monster succeeds on the Will save and succeeds on the Fort save, it takes damage
If a monster succeeds on the Will save and fails on the Fort save, it dies

Then, what happens if a monster straight up fails the Will save?

If monster dies on straight up failing will save, doesn't this make PK always better than FoD? Since in FoD the monster only has to succeed the Fort save, whereas in PK monster needs to succeed the Fort save AND succeed the Will save. However just from general experience and also my suspicions due to FoD being much higher level than PK, it seems like FoD is superior...

Below is link to PK @ compendium

http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Spell:Phantasmal_Killer

[Symar-FangofLloth]

Sorry, wrong.

If a monster makes the Will save, nothing happens.
If Will is failed, and Fort is saved, they take damage.
If Will is failed, and Fort is failed, they die.

[budwise09]

If the monster succeeds the Will save, it's unaffected. If it fails the Will save then succeeds the Fort save, it takes damage. If (and only if) it fails both the Will save and Fort save, it dies. This makes PK only useful vs reflex type mobs like archers/rogue mobs, since casters mobs have high Will save and melee mobs have high fort.

FoD, on the other hand, works well with both archer/rogue mobs and caster mobs.

[Lorien_the_First_One]

Sorry, wrong.

If a monster makes the Will save, nothing happens.
If Will is failed, and Fort is saved, they take damage.
If Will is failed, and Fort is failed, they die.

I wish the final part of the spell had been brought in from PnP:

If the subject of a phantasmal killer attack succeeds in disbelieving and is wearing a helm of telepathy, the beast can be turned upon you. You must then disbelieve it or become subject to its deadly fear attack.

Now that would have been funny.

[praetor]

ah okay, so then PK is clearly inferior to FoD, right?

[Lorien_the_First_One]

ah okay, so then PK is clearly inferior to FoD, right?

Yes, that's why it is a lower level spell.

[Crann]

Right. The only perk is that you get it sooner, being a 4th level spell and FOD being a 7th level spell.