Hiding using cover

[Melcar]

Hey...

Was just wondering can you hide behind cover or what kind of concealment needed to attemt a hide check? WOuld it be possible to hide behind an ally? Seeing as that proide cover?

[Telonius]

From the SRD:

You need cover or concealment in order to attempt a Hide check. Total cover or total concealment usually (but not always; see Special, below) obviates the need for a Hide check, since nothing can see you anyway.

The rules for what sort of Cover count for a Hide check are here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatModifiers.htm#cover). Basically, to what you're asking:


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 Hide check.


So you need something solid that would block line of effect, that is not also a creature, in order to get enough cover to use the Hide skill. A brick wall is usually the example given.

For Concealment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatModifiers.htm#concealment):


To determine whether your target has concealment from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target’s square passes through a square or border that provides concealment, the target has concealment.

When making a melee attack against an adjacent target, your target has concealment if his space is entirely within an effect that grants concealment. When making a melee attack against a target that isn’t adjacent to you use the rules for determining concealment from ranged attacks.

In addition, some magical effects provide concealment against all attacks, regardless of whether any intervening concealment exists.

One really common form of concealment is given by the "Blinded (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#blinded)" condition. Simply put, if you can't see (either because you've been blinded, or it's dark out and you don't have darkvision, or if the enemy is invisible), the enemy has concealment against you. There are other ways you can get Concealment, but they're mostly variations on that theme.

There are also edge cases, like Hide in Plain Sight, that can make things really screwy. There are several different abilities called "Hide in Plain Sight," and they don't work the same way (depending on whether or not they're supernatural or extraordinary, the precise wording regarding what sort of cover or environment is needed, and so on).



TL, DR: If there's a solid object (but not a creature) between you and the enemy, you have cover and can Hide. If the enemy can't see you (for whatever reason), you have concealment, and can Hide. Hide in Plain Sight makes it complicated.

[Melcar]

Thanks...

Does soft cover change compared to the size of the creature trying to hide? What if a halfling or gnome tried to hide behind the half-orc barbarian? Would the standard softcover rule apply or woud this change the rule somehow?

[Telonius]

That's up to the DM; the Cover rules mention that improved cover can double the bonuses.


Varying Degrees of Cover

In some cases, cover may provide a greater bonus to AC and Reflex saves. In such situations the normal cover bonuses to AC and Reflex saves can be doubled (to +8 and +4, respectively). A creature with this improved cover effectively gains improved evasion against any attack to which the Reflex save bonus applies. Furthermore, improved cover provides a +10 bonus on Hide checks.