I will preface this with, the following is not an attack on your person, but rather an attempt to shift your paradigm.
i just dont like skills that REQUIRE you to get owned to activate, but thats just me
You see it as getting "PWND" or whatever the gamer term is, BECAUSE you are approaching this like a gamer. In a story; which is what a role playing game is SUPPOSED to be, at times the characters are going to be defated. Its not getting owned, its part of the journey. Getting owned implies winning and losing applies. In a role playing game they dont.
also the jump away from game stop is WAY more usefull:
just an opinion, and I cant say a well thought out one, since the area affect may not even affect the PC or may not injure them to the point of death. Hence the dive for cover skill will likely save the PCs life LESS often than the die hard idea.
first, most spells are an area effect, so theres a bigger chance your going to get hit, rather than a single target packet actually hitting you.
Die hard doesnt say the affect that send you to -10 or more has to be packet delivered, it could be an area effect spell/event.
second, the fact that it only works at a certain threshold of life, "oh crap i have 25 life and was hit by 30 magic, that master level skill does nothing at all. . ."
correct, because its isnt designed to do so... scout doesnt do anything fopr you either...because it isnt designed to. I think you need to try to get your mind around that fact that just because a skill doesnt make you a bad ass in every combat doesnt mean its not highly useful.
if you want evasion skills play a rouge
if your afraid of magic grab resist magic.
both will serve you many more times over than a diehard skill would, and you will be happy for it.
Again, untrue. Evasion will only save ya one when hit in rapid succesion, die hard works every time your dropped beyong -9. Res magic only works on magic, die hard will work on the 12 vorpal to the back when your at one life point that os from a non magic source. Neither will serve you as often as die hard UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES that die hard are designed to avoid. BOTH work better in the situation THEY are designed to avoid.
Honestly, your comparing apples to oranges.