D&D 5E What is partial cover good for?

[Li Shenron]

Half cover grants +2 AC, three-quarter cover grants +5... but TOTAL cover makes you non-targettable, also by spells which aren't affected by partial cover (because they don't use an attack).

You can still attack or cast spells from behind total cover by using 5ft of your movement to pop out and another 5ft to move back behind it.

So, are there any reasons you might still want to choose partial cover over total cover, when both are available?

 

[Satyrn]

If the total cover isn't see-through, you won't know what's going on if you hide behind it instead of the partial cover.

For example, there's another thread (the one about command as a reaction) with a paladin out in the open while the rogue is hidden. Let's say that rogue was hidden behind some opaque full cover. If the paladin was at all clever, he'd just walk behind some full cover of his own and the rogue would have no idea where he was since he never saw where the paladin went.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Depending on the size of the total cover you might have to go prone to get behind it. So losing half your movement to stand up next turn might inspire you to stay on your feet and just take the +2 bonus.

 

[5ekyu]

Half cover grants +2 AC, three-quarter cover grants +5... but TOTAL cover makes you non-targettable, also by spells which aren't affected by partial cover (because they don't use an attack).

You can still attack or cast spells from behind total cover by using 5ft of your movement to pop out and another 5ft to move back behind it.

So, are there any reasons you might still want to choose partial cover over total cover, when both are available?

It depends on your objectives.

If you are in a group you being behind total cover just means the enemies concentrate fire on your teammates so no great loss to them.

But for you, it means less knowledge of the goings on and effectivrly no reactions (if you have potential useful reactions.)

Also, savvy enemies can still get you in area spells, esp ones that flow around corners.

Giving up battlefield awareness, pinning yourself to a rather small out of the way spot and giving up your "zone of control" all seem a bit iffy as a trade off unless you have a clear and present reason they need to attack you.

Final point, you are just as "untargettable" by friendly spells that need to see you in many cases unless the positioning is right - so healing word, bless, etc can all become less likely to help you. What gonna hapoen if an aoe does drop you to 0 but none of your alkies seem you fall to know to go make stabilizing?

All in all, in some cases its fine, but others not so much.

 

[AmerginLiath]

So, are there any reasons you might still want to choose partial cover over total cover, when both are available?

*whistles* <i>Begging the question! Five yard penalty!</i>

Who’s to say that both are available in a given case? Often only partial cover of some sort is available — imagine a fight in lightly wooded areas where ducking behind bushes and trees doesn’t necessarily hide one’s position but makes it harder to be targeted by ranged weapons (arrows could hit the tree, thrown axes get snagged in a thorn bush). That’s where the benefits of different levels of cover can offer tactical advantages.

Of course, even if different levels of cover are available on a battlefield, it can matter where they are. If an encounter is built around more than “kill all the enemies,” characters might have to move around to achieve other aims. In that case, total cover provides great opportunities for cover fire (think of any cop show and substitute magic missiles in place of service arms) while other characters use other partial cover and the like as they try to get the MacGuffin or flip the switch needed to open the gate.

 

[abirdcall]

Creatures provide partial cover

 

[Mistwell]

A readied action against someone who leaves total cover to attack strikes against a target with no cover. However, someone attacking from behind partial cover is still behind that partial cover when they attack, which negates readying.