D&D 5E Can you get cover from area effects, like cone as in breath wepon?

[maraxion]

So dragons and other creatures uses cone damage with save and no ac. But if youv seen a few movies you think hey a shield might block some etc since its going from one direction to another.

So what I was wondering was if a creature standing behind another creature(both medium) should be able to get some cover agains cone damage head on?
Thinking same thing as if there is 2 people in line against me and i use the garden hose on them. The first one wil be soaked but the one behind might get a bit wet on the edges.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Having cover gives a bonus to DEX saves, so taking cover behind a creature should help you avoid the full damage of many breath weapon attacks.

It's up to the DM what kind of cover a creature provides. I'd give half cover to covering behind a creature of equal size and 3 quarters cover for covering behind a larger creature.

 

[maraxion]

Having cover gives a bonus to DEX saves, so taking cover behind a creature should help you avoid the full damage of many breath weapon attacks.

It's up to the DM what kind of cover a creature provides. I'd give half cover to covering behind a creature of equal size and 3 quarters cover for covering behind a larger creature.

Problems with breath weapons is that they dont give dex saves but con saves. Thats why im wondering if it helps at all.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Problems with breath weapons is that they dont give dex saves but con saves. Thats why im wondering if it helps at all.

Cover doesn't help with con saves. The breath weapons that cause con saves probably saturate the target area completely, so that there's no way to cover from the blast.

 

[maraxion]

yea that was the logiq behind the text. Bun I really dont get the logic in it with a white dragon. Doessent the cold breath mostly hit object? offctource it in the air, but still its a cone!

 

[Warrior Poet]

Bun I really dont get the logic in it with a white dragon. Doessent the cold breath mostly hit object? offctource it in the air, but still its a cone!

Given your location, I'm a little surprised you don't see a regular justification in the environment from approximately late October through approximately late April.

A snowstorm can completely cover a region, even if the prevailing wind is blowing in mostly one direction. Yes, some objects impede snow accumulation to a point, but enough variation in wind speed, direction, and temperature can result in snow settling on objects behind other objects. You might think of the white dragon's cone as the area it affects, not the only direction of the force. The forces within the howling cone of icy rage tumble and twist, the ambient air temperature plummets dangerously, and the speed at which the icy particulates strike is sufficient to score flesh and bone.

Think of a parallel, though different, example: red dragon breath. If the temperature is probably hot enough to melt iron (1,538 C), then it doesn't matter all that much that one person is standing behind another person. The damage to the person behind can be accounted for in terms of ambient temperature, as well things like hypoxia as the flames consume ambient oxygen. The heat and hypoxia alone are deadly.

There's no reason the ice storm can't be a similar experience.

Another factor: ice is H2O in a particular state. That hydrogen bond in water is one of the strongest forces in the universe. It is the reason that a drop of water can hang on under a flat surface against the (relatively weak) force of gravity. Being in a white dragon's breath isn't just being in a snowstorm, it's being at the heart of a drastically accelerated blast of frozen water impacting with tremendous force (remember that water weighs a great deal, even just 2 or 3 liters, never mind all those cubic meters of ice from a white dragon).

It seems to me that white dragon breath is easily justified as deadly, even if you're standing behind someone, and in some cases, an object.

Still learning,

Robert

 

[Yunru]

From a more rules point of view, I'd recommend looking at the Path of the Sun Soul, where there's a Saving Throw move that specifically calls out being blocked by cover.

 

[maraxion]

Given your location, I'm a little surprised you don't see a regular justification in the environment from approximately late October through approximately late April.

A snowstorm can completely cover a region, even if the prevailing wind is blowing in mostly one direction. Yes, some objects impede snow accumulation to a point, but enough variation in wind speed, direction, and temperature can result in snow settling on objects behind other objects. You might think of the white dragon's cone as the area it affects, not the only direction of the force. The forces within the howling cone of icy rage tumble and twist, the ambient air temperature plummets dangerously, and the speed at which the icy particulates strike is sufficient to score flesh and bone.

Think of a parallel, though different, example: red dragon breath. If the temperature is probably hot enough to melt iron (1,538 C), then it doesn't matter all that much that one person is standing behind another person. The damage to the person behind can be accounted for in terms of ambient temperature, as well things like hypoxia as the flames consume ambient oxygen. The heat and hypoxia alone are deadly.

There's no reason the ice storm can't be a similar experience.

Another factor: ice is H2O in a particular state. That hydrogen bond in water is one of the strongest forces in the universe. It is the reason that a drop of water can hang on under a flat surface against the (relatively weak) force of gravity. Being in a white dragon's breath isn't just being in a snowstorm, it's being at the heart of a drastically accelerated blast of frozen water impacting with tremendous force (remember that water weighs a great deal, even just 2 or 3 liters, never mind all those cubic meters of ice from a white dragon).

It seems to me that white dragon breath is easily justified as deadly, even if you're standing behind someone, and in some cases, an object.

Still learning,

Robert

hehe I totaly agree. But to take Norway as an example as you say. if I stand and face a howling winter wind Il get extremely cold. The person behind me wil also feel the cold air, but since the cold wind hits me, he wil be warmer!
Because as everyone knows, experienced temprature is alot lower when you get direct wind on you.

Similare I feel the direct force of a dragon cone is worse than the enviroment effect it gives.

 

[Saeviomagy]

The short answer is that 5e isn't well written enough that you can take it as gospel.. If you think a particular effect sounds like something you can take cover from, let the target take cover from it.

 

[Satyrn]

If you're DMing, then you should allow it. But don't forget that the PC races don't even come close to filling up the 5 foot square they occupy, sojust because you're in the square behind your buddy, you may still not be behind your buddy.

If he's in he front left corner of his square while you're in the back right of yours, you are completely exposed . . . with at least five feet of space between you, too.