Cover 5e rules

SRD 5.1 rules text (the 2014 rules), under combat.

Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target more difficult to harm. A target can benefit from cover only when an attack or other effect originates on the opposite side of the cover.

There are three degrees of cover. If a target is behind multiple sources of cover, only the most protective degree of cover applies; the degrees aren't added together. For example, if a target is behind a creature that gives half cover and a tree trunk that gives three-quarters cover, the target has three-quarters cover.

A target with half cover has a +2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has half cover if an obstacle blocks at least half of its body. The obstacle might be a low wall, a large piece of furniture, a narrow tree trunk, or a creature, whether that creature is an enemy or a friend.

A target with three-quarters cover has a +5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has three-quarters cover if about three-quarters of it is covered by an obstacle. The obstacle might be a portcullis, an arrow slit, or a thick tree trunk.

A target with total cover can't be targeted directly by an attack or a spell, although some spells can reach such a target by including it in an area of effect. A target has total cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle.

Cover at a glance

Degree	Bonus to AC and Dexterity saves	Typical obstacles
Half cover	+2	A low wall, large furniture, a narrow tree trunk or a creature
Three-quarters cover	+5	A portcullis, an arrow slit or a thick tree trunk
Total cover	Can’t be targeted directly	Completely concealed by an obstacle

How cover works

A target behind something that blocks attacks gets harder to hit. There are three degrees, and only the best one counts; they don’t add up.

Half cover: +2 to AC and Dexterity saving throws. At least half the body is blocked, by a low wall, a table, a narrow tree trunk or another creature, friend or enemy.
Three-quarters cover: +5 to AC and Dexterity saving throws. Only a quarter of the target shows, as behind an arrow slit, a portcullis or a thick tree trunk.
Total cover: the target can’t be targeted directly by an attack or a spell at all, though an area effect can still reach it if the area wraps around the obstacle.

Cover only counts when the obstacle is between the target and where the attack or effect comes from. A creature crouching behind a wall has no cover from an enemy standing on its side of the wall.

Using cover at the table

Archers and casters, fight from cover. +2 or +5 AC for nothing more than standing in the right place is one of the best defenses in the game.
Shooting past your allies gives the enemy half cover. A creature in the way counts as an obstacle. If the fighter is between you and the orc, the orc gets +2 AC.
On a grid, the Dungeon Master’s Guide suggests picking a corner of the attacker’s square and drawing lines to the corners of one square the target is in: one or two lines blocked is half cover, three or four is three-quarters, as long as the attack can still get through.
Monsters use cover too. Goblins behind a barricade, kobolds shooting through murder holes and cultists behind pillars are much tougher than the same monsters in the open.

What changed in 2024

Nothing that matters at the table. The 2024 rules keep the same three degrees: half cover for +2 to AC and Dexterity saving throws, three-quarters for +5, and total cover blocking direct targeting.

Common questions

Does cover add to Dexterity saving throws?

Yes. Half and three-quarters cover add +2 and +5 to Dexterity saves against effects that come from the other side of the cover, like a Fireball that goes off on the far side of a low wall.

Do creatures give cover?

Yes. Another creature, friend or foe, between you and your target gives it half cover. The Sharpshooter and Spell Sniper feats in the Player’s Handbook ignore half and three-quarters cover.

Can I cast a spell at a creature behind total cover?

Not directly: a targeted spell needs a clear path. An area spell can still catch it if the area reaches around the obstacle, and Fireball specifically spreads around corners.

Does Magic Missile ignore cover?

It doesn’t make an attack roll or call for a save, so half and three-quarters cover don’t matter. It still can’t target a creature behind total cover.

Which spells ignore cover?

Sacred Flame says the target gets no benefit from cover for its saving throw. Most others don’t, so check the spell.

Do half and three-quarters cover stack?

No. If a target is behind several things, it uses only the most protective degree of cover.

Cover compared with related rules

Rule	How it compares
Advantage and disadvantage	Attacking with advantage is worth roughly +3 to +5 on average, about the same as half or three-quarters cover the other way. Both can apply at once.
Invisible	Attacks against an invisible creature have disadvantage, but it can still be targeted; total cover can’t be.
Sacred Flame	The cantrip that ignores cover: the target gets no bonus to its Dexterity save from it.
Wall of Force	Nothing physically passes through it, so it works as total cover even though you can see through it.
Shield	+5 AC as a reaction until your next turn: three-quarters cover you can carry with you.