Cover in Starfinder

[Joe Pasini]

Hello!

It seems that the latest FAQ update regarding cover did not resolve folks' questions with cover in Starfinder. To that end, I'm looking to amend the FAQ to the below question and answer. Please take a look, and if this does not resolve most common questions, we can discuss it further in this thread before I update the FAQ.

Your input is valuable to me, and I want to make it clear that I'm looking to refine the FAQ to help answer the most common scenarios that people ask about. I will likely not have time to litigate corner cases. Here, then, is my proposed update:

How do the rules of cover interact with certain counterintuitive cases? (For example, given the rules for determining cover as written, two creatures in a 5-foot-wide corridor would have cover from one another, even with no intervening obstacles.)

First and foremost, the GM can usually quickly decide whether a creature has cover based on the circumstances of the encounter. Common sense rules the day!
If the GM is unsure, they can use the rules for measuring cover provided in the Core Rulebook. For these purposes, a measuring line that passes along a wall (but not a creature) is considered to pass through a square or border that provides cover.

[BigNorseWolf]

AHAH I'm not crazy.

places ball on T

Also thank you! We welcome our new computer overlords when they come bearing clarification.

[Nefreet]

Joe Pasini wrote:

a measuring line that passes along a wall (but not a creature) is considered to pass through a square or border that provides cover.

Thank you.

That's the clarification I think we needed. BNW saw it, and I just couldn't.

I don't understand why that rule exists, and as a Society GM I do not look forward to enforcing it. It adds a level of complexity that I think hinders combat and elicits demoralizing jokes about poor game design, but as long as it's explained somewhere that I can clearly point to, I'll go along with it.

The only obvious "corner cases" would then be 10 foot creatures in 10 foot hallways, 15 foot creatures in 15 foot hallways, and so on.

[BigNorseWolf]

Nefreet wrote:

I don't understand why that rule exists, and as a Society GM I do not look forward to enforcing it. It adds a level of complexity that I think hinders combat and elicits demoralizing jokes about poor game design, but as long as it's explained somewhere that I can clearly point to, I'll go along with it.

Well, you seem to have a fair bit of latitude in saying that some things are or aren't cover, so you shouldn't have to enforce anything TOO weird.

[Nefreet]

I find perfectly smooth walls providing cover to be weird.

And Starfinder has a lot of perfectly smooth walls.

[Cellion]

Hi Joe!

The clarification that walls count for the "measuring line rule" but creatures don't is appreciated. Thanks!
After reading and thinking through your proposed FAQ answer a few times, I think I'm interpreting the message as:

Quote:

Sometimes the rules for cover would indicate creatures have cover in situations where it doesn't make sense for them to, such as two medium creatures facing each other in a 5t-foot-wide corridor. In such situations, the GM should ignore the "line rule" to determine cover and use their common sense. Two creatures facing each other in a 5-ft-wide corridor don't have cover from one another.

Also, if you ARE using the measuring line rule for determining cover, only the edges of walls count. The edges of creature squares do not.

Basically, you're asking GM's to use common sense before they attempt to apply the cover rules, and therefore the empty hallway example wouldn't grant cover. Is that right?

----

If so, I'm thinking the question could read more clearly as:

Joe Pasini wrote:

How do the rules of cover interact with certain counterintuitive cases? (For example, given the rules for determining cover as written, two creatures in a 5-foot-wide corridor would have cover from one another, even with no intervening obstacles.)

"Sometimes when applying the rules of cover, I end up with counterintuitive results! For example, given the rules for determining cover as written, two creatures in a 5-foot-wide corridor would have cover from one another, even with no intervening obstacles. How do I adjudicate these? "

[Hawk Kriegsman]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

AHAH I'm not crazy.

I wouldn't go that far BNW. You were however correct. :)

[Joe Pasini]

Cellion wrote:

Basically, you're asking GM's to use common sense before they attempt to apply the cover rules, and therefore the empty hallway example wouldn't grant cover. Is that right?

Yes! Thank you for the wording suggestion.

[Joe Pasini]

Okay, the FAQ has been re-updated! Thanks, everyone, and good luck in those hallways.

[Nefreet]

Looks great. Thank you!