Dodging
The Dodging skill determines how well your character can avoid blows, beams and missiles fired by monsters and traps.
Number crunching
In addition to base EV (10 + Size) Dodging skill provides an EV bonus calculated as follows:
(7 * Dodging * ev_Dex) / (20 - size)
"Size" is a factor of your species's body size, which varies from 4 (tiny, such as a Spriggan); to -8 (huge, such as being in Dragon Form). See Evasion for more details.
ev_Dex is a stepped down value of your Dex. If Dex is greater than 24, it is reduced according to this formula: ev_Dex = 14 + 10 * log2(1 + (dex - 14)/10). (Condensed: ev_Dex = Dex < 24 ? Dex : 14 + 10 * log2(1 + (dex - 14)/10) )
The Dodging bonus is penalized by wearing heavy armour. The penalty from armour is: (30*ABAEVP - 30)/(STR)
ABAEVP is a simple calculation involving the Evasion penalties of armour you're wearing, and your size:
ABAEVP= body_armour_base_penalty - body_armour_base_penalty*size_factor/8
If you are paralysed, your Dodging skill is completely ineffective. The only thing that contributes to EV in this case is repulsion field mutation and the phase shift spell.
Tricks and tips
Adventurers should train first and foremost in order to deliver damage. Since Dodging does not help you in killing your opponents faster and offers slight returns at first, it is perfectly reasonable to turn Dodging off at the start, then turn it back on later on when you feel skilled enough at killing stuff.
Source code location: Player.cc Line 2509 http://gitorious.org/crawl/crawl/blobs/master/crawl-ref/source/player.cc#line2509
Dodging aptitudes
From Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup in-game documentation:
| Hu | Ce | Dg | Ds | Dr | DD | DE | HE | SE | Fe | Gh | Ha | Ko | Mf | Mi | Mu | Na | Op | Og | HO | Sp | Te | Tr | Vp |
| 0 | -3 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | -2 | -2 | 0 | -1 | -2 | 4 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
