Cover in D&D 5e (Updated for 2024 Rules)

By Mike Bernier

Published on October 23, 2024

Don’t make it easy for your enemies. Learn how your character can find cover in D&D 5e to avoid hits, and live to adventure another day!

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What is Cover

When adversaries let their arrows fly, don’t let yourself be caught out in the open. Learning the basics of cover will help prevent your character from going down in battle, since the greater the cover, the less likely it will be for your enemies to land their attack. Read on to find ways to strategically fade into your surroundings, or risk a bullseye being painted on your back.

Types of Cover

There are three varying degrees of cover in D&D 5e. Each increasing level of cover comes with increasing benefits, as your character becomes less and less visible to enemy attackers. Half Cover, and Three-Quarters Cover will provide your character with a bonus to their Armor Class, and Dexterity saving throws. Able to fully conceal yourself? Reap the benefit of Full Cover, with would-be attackers unable to engage.

See the below summary of each level of cover, and the resulting benefits:

  1. Half or Partial Cover: +2 bonus to Armor Class, and Dexterity saving throws
  2. Three-Quarters Cover: +5 bonus to Armor Class and Dexterity saving throws. Can also attempt to use the Hide action.
  3. Total Cover: Cannot be targeted by attacks or spells. Can also attempt to use the Hide action.

The benefits of cover apply to anyone with cover—both your character, and your enemies. Attacking a target with Half or Three-Quarters Cover will result in either a +2 or +5 bonus to their Armor Class, and Dexterity saving throws as well. It’s also important to remember that not only are you unable to attack targets who have Total Cover, you also cannot attack when you have Total Cover. Since your view would be fully obstructed, you must move out of Total Cover to attack.

How to Gain Cover

Any player with several adventures under their belt knows that they will never face the same battlefield twice. As such, your strongest weapon may just be your sharp eye, and its ability to seek out a safe haven as enemies close in. 

There are many things your character can use for cover. Here’s a quick list of examples:

Type Coverage Example
Half At least half the creature Furniture, fence, small cart, or another creature of the smaller size.
Three-Quarters At least three-quarters of the creature Large tree, boulder, or another creature of a the same size.
Total The entire creature A closed door, solid wall, or a creature of a larger size.

The level of coverage you obtain from any object depends on the object’s size, as well as your own size. If the object covers less than 50% of your character, you don’t gain any benefit.

There are a couple less obvious ways that your character can find cover. If an enemy or an ally stands in between you and an attacker, this can also act as cover. Additionally, certain spells offer varying cover through their powerful protection, like Blade Barrier, or the Wall spells.

Negating an Enemy’s Cover

What to do when your target gains cover? There are a few ways to negate an enemy’s cover during battle. The obvious solutions would be to either navigate around your target’s cover to a less obstructed view, or if possible, destroy the target’s cover to get a clear shot. However, certain options can also accomplish similar goals. 

Here are a few spells that can negate an enemy’s cover:

  1. Cloudkill or similar spells: Any creature engulfed in the cloud will receive damage, regardless of cover.
  2. Sharpshooter and Spell Sniper: These feats are valuable for archers and spellcasters, as there will certainly be situations where your targets will have sought cover. Sharpshooter is for archers, while Spell Sniper is for spellcasters. Both feats enable the user to ignore Half and |Three-Quarters cover when making attack rolls, on top of other benefits.
  3. Arcane Archer’s Seeking Arrow: This option is one of the choices from Arcane Archer’s Arcane Arrow ability. Seeking Arrow allows an Arcane Archer to shoot an arrow that bypasses Half or Three-Quarters cover. The requirements for using this ability include having a clear path for the arrow and having seen the target within the last minute.
  4. Spells and Cantrips Ignoring Cover: Certain spells and cantrips explicitly state that cover does not benefit the target. A notable example is the cleric cantrip Sacred Flame, which ignores the benefits of cover.
  5. Magic Missile: This classic spell, known for its reliability, automatically hits its target as long as it can be seen. This mean that Half and Three-Quarters cover provide no defense against it.
  6. Class Features: The 2024 Player’s Handbook includes class features that provide cover, like the Psi Warrior’s Bulwark of Force or the Circle of the Land Druid’s Nature’s Sanctuary.

If your character is not able to navigate around their target’s cover, they must face the consequences of their target’s higher Armor Class, or an inability to attack at all.

Take Cover

Understanding the basics of cover in D&D 5e will help keep you and your party out of harm’s way when danger closes in. As swords clash in song, and arrows whiz by, remember that keeping a sharp eye on your surroundings may be your key to survival. Frodo may have summed it up best-when in doubt, “Get off the road!” and find cover.

Mike Bernier

Mike Bernier is the lead content writer and founder of Arcane Eye. He is a Adamantine best-selling author of Strixhaven: A Syllabus of Sorcery on DMs Guild and is a contributing author at D&D Beyond. Follow Mike on Twitter.

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