Cover rules come up a lot more in 5.5e than they did in the previous editions These are not the rules as written in Dungeons and Dragons 5.5e. They are my best attempt at implementing the rules on a Virtual Table Top. These rules are currently in playtesting for the DungeonSports Coliseum, and are subject to revision.
There are two common situations that create cover.
- Partial line of sight on a target
- A creature in the line of sight
Partial line of sight
These rules based on line-of-sight in may be a little generous, but they also don’t require complex interpretation.
Total Cover
When an attacker cannot of see a target, the target has full cover. The target having full cover does not guarantee that the attacker has full cover from the target. This is often true when there the target and attacker are not the same size category or height.
Three-Quarters Cover
When an attacker can see half of the target token or less, the target has three-quarters cover, giving it a +5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws.
Below, the attacker can see exactly half of the target token. The targe still has three-quarters cover.
Half Cover
When an attacker can see more than half but not all of the target, the target has half cover. This give the target a +2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws.
No Cover
If all of a round tokened target is visible, even if part of the square it occupies isn’t, the target has no cover.
Cover from Multiple Barriers
In a situation where multiple parts of a target token are not visible to the attacker the target has three-quarters cover.
Creature on The Line-of-Sight to a Target
A creature functions differently than a solid object. The amount of cover provided by a creature on a straight line between an attacker and a target is determined by the difference in size category between the creature providing cover.
| Size Category Difference | Cover |
| > 1 size smaller | No Cover |
| 1 size smaller | Half Cover |
| Same size | Three-Quarters Cover |
| 1 size larger | Full Cover |
| >1 size larger | Half Cover |
We’ll be playing with these rules starting immediately and revising as needed.
That’s it for now. Check out other important rules for the coliseum here.