D&D 5E (2014) Can you get cover from area effects, like cone as in breath wepon?

[Plaguescarred]

Can you get cover from area effects, like cone as in breath weapon?

Yes but only if it against AC or Dexterity saving throw.

 

[Yunru]

If the creature in front makes it's save, then maybe give the creature in back advantage on it's save. If the front creature fails, then there is a good chance it is on the ground, exposing the creature behind it to the full blast as well.

On the contrary (at least for Dex saves, which is what you seem to be talking about), if the creature in front of you makes the save it got out of the way as much as possible. It's only if it fails it's save might it be between you and it.

 

[Bayonet]

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.

I agree on this point here. I can't understand why someone would rely on CON to tough out a blast of fire or acid, rather than relying on their reflexes to avoid it (DEX). Seems poorly thought out.

 

[Faenor]

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).

Surface tension is a result of the lopsided shape of the water molecule, not the strength of the molecular bond.

 

[Warrior Poet]

Surface tension is a result of the lopsided shape of the water molecule, not the strength of the molecular bond.

Thank you for the correction and update. It's been a quarter century since I formally studied any physics (and that only an introductory course).

Still learning,

Robert

 

[Faenor]

Cold is con because it's a temperature, regardless of the shape. Fire is dex because it's directional, no matter the shape. It has an origin and a direction, and so it can to some extent be dodged and blocked.

 

[Faenor]

That wasn't directed at you, Robert.

 

[Warrior Poet]

That wasn't directed at you, Robert.

I figured you were talking about the original question and mechanics, not my paltry understanding of physics

Still learning,

Robert

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

On the contrary (at least for Dex saves, which is what you seem to be talking about), if the creature in front of you makes the save it got out of the way as much as possible. It's only if it fails it's save might it be between you and it.

No, I was referencing the talk of Con saves and having something or someone in front of you partially block the effect.

 

[Li Shenron]

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?

Partial cover helps against effects that use an attack roll or require a Dex saving throws.

Total cover simply makes you non-targettable, a spell's area of effects does not extend beyond total cover.

You can get total cover from an obstacle that you can be completely behind, but it is not guaranteed. Don't think that just because you can dock and shrink behind a shield or a tree trunk, that this gives you the rights to declare so and pretend you have total cover. You are still in combat, where everything happens simultaneously, so it's always up to the DM to decide if you have the time and circumstances for such a large benefit from a minimal opportunity. If you're the DM and the player asks for it, just make him think what it would mean... how long does it take to really duck properly behind an obstacle so that not even an inch of you is visible, and what does it mean in terms of your posture: are you still capable of defending yourself if someone attacks you in the meantime? Are you truly able to get up and back to full-effective fighting in no time?

In addition, from the game rules point of view consider that in past editions there were shields specifically designed to provide cover (tower shields), which means that regular shields are not supposed to technically grant cover. All their benefits are already accounted for in their AC bonus. This is how shields are supposed to work in combat, where everybody is moving around and you have to defend yourself from all directions. Then if you want to use a shield out of combat to cover yourself, the DM has to figure something out. You can also decide to do something like that in combat, but personally I'd tell you that you are willingly giving up the rules of combat for a round or two, so you'll have to pay for it in some other way (perhaps you cannot take any other action until you spend one to get out of docking, and while docking you have AC 0 from other sides because you're not defending yourself).