Half cover
Half cover is the one you'll use most, because creatures provide it. An archer shooting past an ally at an orc gives the orc half cover (+2 AC). This applies to enemies too, so your fighter standing in the line of fire protects the goblin behind her.
The bonus also applies to Dexterity saving throws. A creature with half cover behind a low wall adds +2 to its save against a Fireball, as long as the explosion's point of origin is on the other side of the wall.
Three-quarters cover
Three-quarters cover is +5, the same AC boost as the Shield spell. Arrow slits and murder holes are designed around it. In 2024, three-quarters or total cover is also one of the ways to qualify for the Hide action.
Total cover
A target with total cover can't be targeted directly by an attack or a spell. Area effects can still reach it if the area wraps around the obstacle or includes the target's space, for example a Fireball whose explosion reaches around a corner.
Common rulings and edge cases
- •It doesn't stack. A creature and a tree trunk together don't give +7. Use the most protective degree, in this case three-quarters.
- •Direction matters. Cover only applies if the attack or effect originates on the opposite side of the cover. A spell from your side of the wall ignores it.
- •Some spells ignore cover. Sacred Flame ignores cover for its saving throw (in 2024, half and three-quarters cover).
- •Sharpshooter and Spell Sniper (Player's Handbook feats, not in the SRD) let you ignore half and three-quarters cover with your attacks.
- •Prone isn't cover. Being prone gives distant attackers disadvantage, but the cover bonus is separate. Your DM may give cover for lying prone behind a low wall.
- •Grids and lines. A common table method on a grid: the attacker picks one corner of its square and traces lines to every corner of the target's square. If one or two lines are blocked, the target has half cover; three or four, three-quarters. This is a Dungeon Master's Guide variant, not an SRD rule.
- •Engulfed creatures have total cover. A creature inside a gelatinous cube has total cover from attacks outside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does half cover do in 5e?
It gives the target +2 to AC and to Dexterity saving throws against attacks and effects coming from the other side of the cover.
Do creatures give half cover?
Yes. Another creature between the attacker and the target gives half cover, whether it's the target's ally or the attacker's.
Does cover stack in 5e?
No. If a target is behind more than one source of cover, only the most protective degree applies.
Does cover apply to saving throws?
Only to Dexterity saving throws, and only when the effect originates on the other side of the cover. Half cover gives +2 and three-quarters cover gives +5.
Can you target a creature with total cover?
Not directly with an attack or spell. Area-of-effect spells can still reach it if the area includes the creature's space.
How much AC does three-quarters cover give?
+5 to AC, plus +5 to Dexterity saving throws.
Rules checked against the D&D 5e SRD 5.1 (2014) and SRD 5.2.1 (2024).