Speed of averting eyes against gaze attack?

[Totema]

I just read that a possible defense against gaze attacks is for a character to avert his eyes. But it's not clear how one goes about doing this. Is it an immediate (or even free) action, or would one have to ready an action, anticipating the gaze attack?

[DeltaEmil]

You must declare that you are averting your eyes at the beginning of the round, before you make the saving throw. Then, there is a 50% chance that you don't have to make the saving throw, but for the rest of the round, the creature with the gaze attack you're trying to avoid has total concealment against you.

Closing your eyes for the entire round is also a decision you must make at the start of the round before the saving throw, and then for the entire rest of the round, you are effectively blind, but don't have to roll the saving throw, nor can the creature's gaze attack affect you if it uses its gaze actively against you.

After you've decided to have your character avert or close its eyes for the round, the effect remains until the start of the next round, where you declare again that your character is either averting the gaze or completely shutting its eyes.

[Totema]

Makes sense to me. It has a similar "feeling" as readying an action but has a much bigger impact on what actually happens to you during combat. That being the case, spells like Evil Glare seem pretty mean. O_O

[Psyren]

You must declare that you are averting your eyes at the beginning of the round, before you make the saving throw. Then, there is a 50% chance that you don't have to make the saving throw, but for the rest of the round, the creature with the gaze attack you're trying to avoid has total concealment against you.

Closing your eyes for the entire round is also a decision you must make at the start of the round before the saving throw, and then for the entire rest of the round, you are effectively blind, but don't have to roll the saving throw, nor can the creature's gaze attack affect you if it uses its gaze actively against you.

After you've decided to have your character avert or close its eyes for the round, the effect remains until the start of the next round, where you declare again that your character is either averting the gaze or completely shutting its eyes.

This is almost right - averting your eyes only grants them concealment. Total concealment comes from closing your eyes, i.e. you can't see them at all - but then you incur penalties similar to being blind (unless you have other senses.)

[Crake]

the creature with the gaze attack you're trying to avoid has total concealment against you.

averting your gaze results in regular concealment, not total concealment, because you arent completely blind, just trying to avoid meeting it's eyes

e:f;b