Cover
In combat, crumbling ruins and choking smoke aren't just obstacles, they're potential lifelines. Hunters must learn to snatch desperate respite from a world that wants them dead. Cowering behind a crumbling statue or crouching beneath a blasted tree can mean the difference between life and oblivion – for a little while at least.
Remember, not all cover is created equal. Before trusting your life to a flimsy table or a wall riddled with cracks, ask your Overseer about its effectiveness.
In Obscured, we categorize cover into three types: light, medium, and perfect.
Light Cover
Light cover provides minimal protection – think a rotted tree trunk or a low garden wall. It's better than nothing, but barely. While behind light cover, combatants enjoy a +1 boost to their Hit Threshold (HT) and their sneak rolls.
Medium Cover
Medium cover offers more substantial protection by blocking a large part of the body. Think of ducking behind a car or a thick pillar. When taking refuge behind medium cover, an adversary suffers disadvantage on their attack rolls, while Hunters gain an advantage on their sneak rolls.
Perfect Cover
Perfect cover offers near-absolute protection, completely blocking the line of sight between an attacker and a target. This could be hiding behind a solid wall or ducking into a dark room. When behind perfect cover, an opponent cannot execute a line-of-sight attack. Hunters automatically succeed on sight-based sneak rolls and receive a +2 bonus to other sneak rolls.
Cover is often fragile and fleeting. That pillar of ancient stone might crumble under a Horror's claw. A rain of gunfire could turn that car into a useless, flaming husk. Relying on cover too long could be the death of you.
Overseer: "John, you're up. The cryptid is charging at you, and there's a stack of old, wooden crates and a stone pillar nearby. What do you do?"
John: "I'll dive behind the crates."
Overseer: "That would count as light cover, giving you +1 to your HT and sneak rolls. Better than nothing!"
Amy: "Wait, why not use the pillar? It's way better protection!"
John: "You guys heard those cracking sounds! I'm not so sure that pillar is as strong as it looks. Besides, I saw something shiny in those crates...Maybe it's an antique cross!"
David: "John, we're fighting a were-platypus. I highly doubt it cares about religious relics."