Cover and combat

[Datchi]

I currently play in two groups. One of these groups has taken the following rulling on firing in to combat and I'm wondering if it's correct.

The big beefy fighter is in combat with a mean Drow and my Archer is standing back wanting to fire into combat. Now if I don't have precise shot I suffer -4 to hit.

My questin is that the DM in this group is also imposing a cover bonus as I'm standing behind the fighter. I thought that the -4 was because the combatants are moving and therefore you wouldn't get any other minuses. As you can imagine anyone with a bow who doesn't have precise shot is sufeering huge minuses.

 

[the Jester]

Yes, you do suffer a cover bonus as well as the -4. The added coolness is, IF you miss your target by an amount within the "cover range"- AND it will penetrate your buddy's AC- you hit him in the back.

The moral of the story is, don't shoot into melee unless you know what you're doing.

 

[Stalker0]

jester's right, might want to take a move action and find a different target line if you want to start shooting into melee.