About spell immunity and spell resistance

[Melnir]

I was thinking about the possibility to lower spell immunity, since it says


Spell Immunity
A creature with spell immunity avoids the effects of spells and spell-like abilities that directly affect it. This works exactly like spell resistance, except that it cannot be overcome. Sometimes spell immunity is conditional or applies to only spells of a certain kind or level. Spells that do not allow spell resistance are not affected by spell immunity.

and you can lower your spell resistance


Spell Resistance
A creature can voluntarily lower its spell resistance. Doing so is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Once a creature lowers its resistance, it remains down until the creature’s next turn. At the beginning of the creature’s next turn, the creature’s spell resistance automatically returns unless the creature intentionally keeps it down (also a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity).

I only want strictly RAW anwers, not you personal opinions or if you like it or not, I'm just trying to read the RAW themselves.

Thank you for any answer!

[Hirax]

Voluntarily Giving up a Saving Throw: A creature can voluntarily forego a saving throw and willingly accept a spell’s result. Even a character with a special resistance to magic (for example, an elf’s resistance to sleep effects) can suppress this quality.

Either spell immunity is treated as unbeatable SR, in which case you need to lower it as a standard action, or it's treated as a special resistance to magic, and you don't need to take any action at all to fail the save to accept the result of the spell. Note that this only works with things that require a saving throw, so if something allowed SR, but no save, you wouldn't be able to allow it in under the section I quoted, you'd need to be able to manually lower the immunity somehow.

[docnessuno]

This is entirely in the large grey area of "Ask your DM".

except that it cannot be overcome
Can be interpreted as a limitation not allowing to lower it. Otherwise it's fine.

[Melnir]

Either spell immunity is treated as unbeatable SR, in which case you need to lower it as a standard action, or it's treated as a special resistance to magic, and you don't need to take any action at all to fail the save to accept the result of the spell. Note that this only works with things that require a saving throw, so if something allowed SR, but no save, you wouldn't be able to allow it in under the section I quoted, you'd need to be able to manually lower the immunity somehow.

Couldn't you just take a standard action to lower it if it allows no saving throws?

[Hirax]

Couldn't you just take a standard action to lower it if it allows no saving throws?

Right. It's just annoying to do so, since the action cost of lowering spell resistance was a stupid design choice. It's rendered moot by the fact that it's unlikely that any of the things you'll want to let in will be affected, as almost all spells like heroism, enlarge person, etc. have the option to save against them.

[Melnir]

I have another question: if I have a normal SR, lower it, the wizard buffs me (enlarge person for example) and then (next turn) I put my SR to his original value, is the wizard going to make a caster level check to overcome my SR when it gets back to his original value?

[Psyren]

This is entirely in the large grey area of "Ask your DM".

Can be interpreted as a limitation not allowing to lower it. Otherwise it's fine.

This. Your DM can either go with the "this works exactly like spell resistance" (thus allowing you to lower it) or the "cannot be overcome" to say that it's impossible to do so.


I have another question: if I have a normal SR, lower it, the wizard buffs me (enlarge person for example) and then (next turn) I put my SR to his original value, is the wizard going to make a caster level check to overcome my SR when it gets back to his original value?

SR doesn't affect spells that are already on you, so no. Once you "turn it back on" your buffs aren't at risk of falling off. Unfortunately, the same is true for any debuffs that may have gotten onto you.

[Melnir]

SR doesn't affect spells that are already on you, so no. Once you "turn it back on" your buffs aren't at risk of falling off. Unfortunately, the same is true for any debuffs that may have gotten onto you.

Actually I found out that rules compendium (page 130, effect spells) says the opposite.