Stealth and hiding behind allies.

[eamon]

You can't sustain stealth by hiding behind allies, but nothing is said about initiating stealth by hiding behind allies. This is generally not relevant, since what's the point of trying to hide if you're immediately spotted anyhow?

It's been debated whether allies can even grant the superior cover needed to try and hide.

But if allies grant superior cover, and if you succeed on a stealth check and otherwise have concealment (dim light, say), would allies then suffice to initiatiate stealth and the other circumstances (normal concealment from dim light, or cover from a tree, say) suffice to sustain it?

 

[Ryujin]

That would be true if you were granted superior cover by allies. We've ruled that single square creatures can't provide superior cover, in our games, even multiple creatures.

 

[Samir]

If allies grant superior cover, then yes, you can make a stealth check, and sustain it from other sources of cover or concealment.

The point of debate is whether or not allies can indeed grant superior cover.

 

[KarinsDad]

The point of debate is whether or not allies can indeed grant superior cover.

Only diagonally.

 

[eamon]

Everyone seems to agree: if allies can provide superior cover (which, if you regard them like any other square-filling thing, they can) then you can hide behind allies, so long as you have some other means of sustaining stealth (since cover by allies doesn't count for sustaining allies).

RAW aside, do people actually play like that?

 

[Infiniti2000]

RAW aside, do people actually play like that?

No.

 

[Nikosandros]

Where does the idea that allies provide superior cover come from?

 

[Infiniti2000]

From the undisputed fact that allies provide cover. If something (or in this case someone) can provide cover, it's a logical extension that enough of that something (or positioned correctly) can provide superior cover.

 

[Nikosandros]

Superior cover is reserved for cases like an arrow slit. Personally, I think that there is no support in the rules for the idea that allies can provide superior cover.

 

[Nytmare]

I thought the rule was that allies only provide cover if someone is trying to target you with a ranged attack, but that you couldn't use them as cover for making stealth checks.