Saving Throw for multi-attack spells

[Barstro]

My PC has learned of an enemy that she thinks will be most effected by Ice Spears (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/i/ice-spears). Depending on when met, it will result in two or three ice spears coming up and attacking the enemy.

If I understand the spell correctly, the following will happen;
1) Enemy (Large) is hit with (we'll just go with) two spears
2) Reflex save causes half damage
3) No Reflex save causes full damage and a Trip check.

How many Reflex Save checks? Is it one save for the entire spell, or one check for each spear?

[Barstro]

Is there really no easy and correct RAW answer to how many reflex saves the enemy will get?

[animewatcha]

Looks like one check for every square with damage dealt as a per spear thing. After spears do their thing on casting, they stay up. They don't damage after initial effects, but at height of 10 feet and if stay long enough that you make a creature fall on them ( like mortal kombat uppercut ) the creature should take damage against as appropriate, but that is a different mess.

[Kurald Galain]

The way the spell is written it gives one saving throw per creature, not one per spear.

[animewatcha]

One of the key things to consider is "Each additional ice spear beyond the first that strikes a single foe grants a +10 bonus to this CMB check."

[Barstro]

One of the key things to consider is "Each additional ice spear beyond the first that strikes a single foe grants a +10 bonus to this CMB check."

But that can be read two different ways;
Either many try at attack, but only those that make it through the saves (one for each spear) "strikes".
Or; many try to attack, and of those that are on the same target, and they all "strike" if creature fails its single save.
The CMB check is AFTER the reflex save has failed.

@Kurald Galain,
Could you point to the language that supports your conclusion. I continue to read the spell as being vague.
"A successful Reflex save halves the damage and prevents the trip attempt" could mean "for the entire spell" or "for that spear".

My D20 knowledge is too limited to know if there is a similar spell out there that is more clear.

[Kurald Galain]

@Kurald Galain,
Could you point to the language that supports your conclusion. I continue to read the spell as being vague.

The simple fact that it refers to "a" singular saving throw. Note also how the spell allows one trip attempt, not one per spear (and if you'd get two saving throws to avoid the trip, that'd make the spell pretty weak). To my knowledge, no similar spell gives multiple saving throws either.

[Barstro]

The simple fact that it refers to "a" singular saving throw. Note also how the spell allows one trip attempt, not one per spear (and if you'd get two saving throws to avoid the trip, that'd make the spell pretty weak). To my knowledge, no similar spell gives multiple saving throws either.

Per the language of the statute spell, the DC single saving throw for the trip attempt is based the number of spears that strike. Allowing a reflex per spear (assume three spears) could result in one, two, or three hitting. This further results in a Trip of CMB, CMB+10, or CMB+20, respectively.

"'a' singular saving throw" could still be one throw "per spear", since the saving throw is just to see how much damage one takes from that spear. It is far from inconceivable that a large creature can dodge one ten-foot spear but not dodge another one. And if it failed to dodge two spears, there is a greater chance of being tripped by two of them striking at the same time.

The only part about the description that causes me to believe the saving throw is for the spell as a whole and not each spear is that the mention of a throw is at the end of everything else and statutory reading would suggest it relates to the whole. But the writers have long since proven that they did not take any classes in writing legal statutes.

I'll try to research other spells to come up with anecdotal evidence of intent.

[Barstro]

I have found two similar spells, but no hard language;

Gloomblind Bolts (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/g/gloomblind-bolts) (which I always thought said "bind", mention a saving throw to resist blindness. However, it is silent on whether it is one save or one save per bolt. As an aside, I'd suggest that it would not really matter what it said since it is Ranged Attack --> Hit --> Save on any hit as opposed to Save on hit --> CMB. They are different dynamics.

and
Meteor Swarm (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/meteor-swarm) (seems obvious). While that spell also has a Ranged Attack, the saving throw is not part of that attack, but for the explosion after. That spell specifically states that it is one saving throw PER sphere.

Sadly, being mentioned one place and not in another is far from conclusive. This is especially true since the spells have very different effects. Had Meteor Swarm also included a CMB check based on number of spheres that effected someone, it might actually mean something. But, that's not the case.


EDIT,
I'm still looking for something similar. So far the only decent arguments I have are;
Saving Throw for each spear because it takes the place of a melee attack roll for each spear (spells with multiple attacks seem to require multiple rolls (see Admonishing Ray))
Saving Throw for spell as a whole because there only one mention of a Saving Throw and nothing specifically says there is more than one.

[Barstro]

The closest I could find is Battering Blast (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/b/battering-blast). This calls for multiple attack rolls for the multiple balls. Each ball that hits results in a CMB check as opposed to a single check with increased difficulty for multiple hits.

But that result is different from Ice Spears and not really controlling.