You don't need Fate to get a save vs. critical, AFAIK, but I'm pretty sure it only applies to melee critical hits, not to things like vortex explosions. I have a memory of reading the specific conditions somewhere (it's something like HP >35 + enemy critical, then luck roll), but I can't find the source at the moment.
If you've got a couple of PoEX, you might be able to fix that 12 To problem.
Hoping to win with every class, doomed. Archer, Barbarian, Bard, Beastfighter, Druid, Elementalist, Farmer, Fighter, Monk, and ULE Priest down.