Cover & Protection

Characters are harder to hit when they have cover—anything that hides them from attackers. In situations like thick smoke or fog, these modifiers may also apply to Search/Perception to spot a hidden character. Add the cover modifier(s) to the difficulty to hit.

Environmental Cover

Example: Thannik fires at a target in a dark alley at medium range (Moderate difficulty number 13). It's moonlit (+2D). The gamemaster rolls +2D and gets 5, raising difficulty to 18. Thannik rolls 15—miss.

Physical Cover

Add a cover modifier based on how much of the target is covered: ¼ covered: +1D ½ covered: +2D ¾ covered: +4D Fully covered: cannot be hit directly (attacker must eliminate the cover)

Damage done to cover might exceed the Armor Value it provides and indirectly damage the target.

Example: Thannik's target ducks behind metal garbage bins (½ covered, +2D). Target is at medium range (13). The gamemaster rolls 2D for moonlit night (10) and 2D for bins (7): total difficulty 30.

Protection

Sturdy objects may provide protection. If an attacker beats the basic difficulty but not the cover-modified difficulty, the shot hits the protection instead. Roll the attack's damage against the protection's body strength.

Sample Protection

If damage is lower than body strength: no damage to cover; target takes none. If damage meets/exceeds body strength: determine damage to cover:

If the protection fails, reduce weapon damage to the target based on how damaged the cover is:

Example: Thannik's difficulty to hit the target is 30. Roll 30+: hits target directly (full damage) Roll 22 or less: misses completely Roll 23–29: hits the garbage bins (protection)

Thannik rolls 26 (hits bins). Bins have body strength 2D; gamemaster rolls 7. Thannik rolls heavy blaster pistol damage 5D and gets 20 (difference 13 → bins severely damaged). Target takes damage at −1D.

---

Source: REUP