How does a Horse provide cover for my character while riding

[Atalius]

I came across this little bit on Cover. Cover – Get cover from your mount. Cover does a lot of things. It gives you +4 to your AC, even when riding the mount with a proper ride check. It allows you to hide. It improves your Reflex Saves.

How does that work? Do I get +4 to my AC just for riding a mount? Do I have to be moving in order to receive that bonus? Could I get some clarity on the above statement please.

[John Murdock]

to have cover you need to be behind the thing that cover you against the thing that menace you, so by being in top of you horse you gain no cover but you have the higher ground which give you a +1 to attack against creature that are in lower ground against you

[Komoda]

Cover: You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover. You can’t attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover. If you fail your Ride check, you don’t get the cover benefit. Using this option is an immediate action, but recovering from this position is a move action (no check required).

Looks like you would gain the +4 to AC as well as the reflex bonuses. You might be able to hide, but it is likely that they would notice the horse. It is also reasonable for them to know what square you are in for targeting purposes.

[Atalius]

Komoda wrote:

Cover: You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover. You can’t attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover. If you fail your Ride check, you don’t get the cover benefit. Using this option is an immediate action, but recovering from this position is a move action (no check required).

Looks like you would gain the +4 to AC as well as the reflex bonuses. You might be able to hide, but it is likely that they would notice the horse. It is also reasonable for them to know what square you are in for targeting purposes.

ahh thanks, do you know what the ride check DC would be?

[John Murdock]

Komoda wrote:

Cover: You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover. You can’t attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover. If you fail your Ride check, you don’t get the cover benefit. Using this option is an immediate action, but recovering from this position is a move action (no check required).

Looks like you would gain the +4 to AC as well as the reflex bonuses. You might be able to hide, but it is likely that they would notice the horse. It is also reasonable for them to know what square you are in for targeting purposes.

you won't get the bonus to reflex since its a soft cover, soft cover never give you bonus to reflex save

Atalius
the DC is 15

[Komoda]

John Murdock wrote:

Komoda wrote:

Cover: You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover. You can’t attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover. If you fail your Ride check, you don’t get the cover benefit. Using this option is an immediate action, but recovering from this position is a move action (no check required).

Looks like you would gain the +4 to AC as well as the reflex bonuses. You might be able to hide, but it is likely that they would notice the horse. It is also reasonable for them to know what square you are in for targeting purposes.

you won't get the bonus to reflex since its a soft cover, soft cover never give you bonus to reflex save

Atalius
the DC is 15

I'm not sure that it is soft cover. It very well could be and I wouldn't fight that ruling, but it is called out as cover, not soft cover. And if it were soft cover, there is no reason why they shouldn't have called it out as such right here.

[John Murdock]

Komoda wrote:

John Murdock wrote:

Komoda wrote:

Cover: You can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside your mount, using it as cover. You can’t attack or cast spells while using your mount as cover. If you fail your Ride check, you don’t get the cover benefit. Using this option is an immediate action, but recovering from this position is a move action (no check required).

Looks like you would gain the +4 to AC as well as the reflex bonuses. You might be able to hide, but it is likely that they would notice the horse. It is also reasonable for them to know what square you are in for targeting purposes.

you won't get the bonus to reflex since its a soft cover, soft cover never give you bonus to reflex save

Atalius
the DC is 15

I'm not sure that it is soft cover. It very well could be and I wouldn't fight that ruling, but it is called out as cover, not soft cover. And if it were soft cover, there is no reason why they shouldn't have called it out as such right here.

here the text for soft cover

''Soft Cover

Creatures, even your enemies, can provide you with cover against ranged attacks, giving you a +4 bonus to AC. However, such soft cover provides no bonus on Reflex saves, nor does soft cover allow you to make a Stealth check.''

even in the text they say cover not soft cover since its a type of cover, so a horse is a creature so its a soft cover and the AC gain is only against ranged attack. and why would you use you horse to cover yourself in melee combat when you are attacking the enemies? against ranged attack when you are going near them ok, but when already in melee it make no sense, especially since you can't attack or cast spell while doing so