Hide Without Cover

[Hytheter]

Hey
I was wondering if anyone knew of any feats or items that allow the user to make hide checks without cover. Like the Ranger's camoflage ability, but preferably without requiring specific circumstances. Also being Hide in Plain sight (ie while being observed) isn't a necessity, but it wouldn't hurt either.

[GutterFace]

see i thought i remembered some shenanigans where if you held a Tower Shield (since it provides cover) you could in essence make a hide check behind it and completely disappear since it was part of your equipment...

but we may need a rules lawyer to step in and verify this.

[Gwendol]

There is the collar of umbral metamorphosis (22 k).

[Vaz]

Cormyr Dark Template

Also; some form of gaining Concealement, such as Casting (Deeper) Darkness is emough.

[Jormengand]

see i thought i remembered some shenanigans where if you held a Tower Shield (since it provides cover) you could in essence make a hide check behind it and completely disappear since it was part of your equipment...

but we may need a rules lawyer to step in and verify this.

Yes, this is correct. The Tower Shield allows you to hide yourself (including all your equipment, including the Tower Shield itself) behind the Tower Shield. Let's be honest, it would be silly if you didn't automatically hide everything you were wearing, or you'd just look like an animated suit of armour.

[Hytheter]

There is the collar of umbral metamorphosis (22 k).

Cormyr Dark Template

These only grant Hide in Plain Sight, which lets you hide while being observed but does not let you hide without any cover/concealment, which is what I'm looking for.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Yes, this is correct. The Tower Shield allows you to hide yourself (including all your equipment, including the Tower Shield itself) behind the Tower Shield. Let's be honest, it would be silly if you didn't automatically hide everything you were wearing, or you'd just look like an animated suit of armour.

However, LogicTM says that if you're hiding behind a particular piece of cover, the cover is visible since it's what is obstructing line of sight. It's not in the rules, but that's what GMs are for.

You can make Hide checks with concealment, though, for which darkness spells, fog spells, being in a dungeon with inadequate lighting, etc. all work. The problem comes when you want to sneak attack from environmental concealment as, if your enemies also have concealment from you, sneak attack isn't possible.

[Segev]

There's always invisibility...

[Radar]

Combine Dark template (for example obtained from Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis) with Planar Bubble spell, which will emulate the Plane of Shadows around you, so through its duration you won't be in broad daylight (unless it works differently, then the Planar Shepherds' ability of the same name).

[Vaz]

These only grant Hide in Plain Sight, which lets you hide while being observed but does not let you hide without any cover/concealment, which is what I'm looking for.

Um, no. The Cormyr Dark Template is the Su version, the one that requires you to be within 10ft of a Shadow only (provided it's not your own).

[Fouredged Sword]

If solid snake can hide is a box and somehow be invisible, then my rogue should be able to hide behind the tower shied he carries so long as he doesn't move when hiding.

I actually had a dungeon that had a hallway with tower shields mounted along the walls. Little did my party know that some of the shields where actually not mounted to the wall, but covering cutaways that housed assassins waiting for them to pass.

[Chronos]

The Blur spell will also work, and has the advantages that it doesn't give the enemies concealment from you, and doesn't have an effect that extends beyond you to be detected.

[NEO|Phyte]

Gleaming (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/armorAndShields.htm#gleaming) is a pretty good choice for getting the ability to hide anywhere. As an added bonus, granting concealment gives you immunity to things like Sneak Attack, which can't be used against targets with concealment.