Rule Question - Does FG do this automatically?

[doseyclwn]

So as I had it pointed out to me by reading a Sly Flourish article, "if you're shooting at something and ANYTHING is in the way, the target gets +2 to its defenses". Does FG do this automatically, or do I need to play with the modifiers window?

[Talyn]

Yeah you'll have to handle that yourself. The Combat Tracker doesn't account for range or if anything is between your token and your target token.

[Zacchaeus]

As Talyn says FG can't know there is something in the way so you will have to deal with this on a case by case basis.

The easiest is to use the 'Cover' button on the modifiers dialog. Clicking the button before shooting will add the necessary modifier to the roll.

[Nickademus]

You are speaking from the defender's perspective (+2 to AC) while Zacc's good advice is from the attacker's perspective (shot suffers from Cover). Using the Cover button is the easiest way, but requires your players to know when there is cover and responsibly click the button.

[Aldente]

I agree that using the Cover buttons in the modifier window is the easiest way to handle it, but you rely on the attacker selecting it responsibly. As the DM, you can also apply the COVER or SCOVER effects to the defender when appropriate, so you'd manage it. You can see the effect in the chat, so you know whether it's been applied in either case.

Cheers!

[Xorn]

As NPCs frequently will not have cover from everyone I just have the players click Cover first. It's good for them to be aware of it--plus if they forget I can just see if the margin of success is 2+.

[epithet]

I haven't read the Sly Flourish article, but I think an important reason why Fantasy Grounds can't handle this automatically is that not everything between a shooter and a target will provide cover to the target. An arrow slit doesn't give cover to the poor bastard stuck out in the courtyard, an ally standing in front of you, covering you with a shield, doesn't necessarily provide cover to the goblin 30 ft. away that you're shooting with a crossbow over your ally's shoulder, and an ogre can't take cover behind a halfling.

Cover applies when you, the DM, says it does. It's not automatic, and you don't want to have to override your software when some kind of automated determination gets it wrong.

[Talyn]

I'm sure an intrepid Lua scripter could make the Battlemap consider token positioning, ranges and line of sight and forward the modifiers and results to the Combat Tracker. It would quite possibly either have to 1) be coded per ruleset or 2) be coded per CoreRPG in which case it wouldn't know every little tweak that an individual ruleset makes.

The catch is just to not force it because so many products don't ship with maps to begin with so "theater of the mind" is still a thing even on a VTT.

[LordEntrails]

There are several other discussion on this. Including from one of the community developers who started laying out the coding logic needed to do this. And that's just for line of sight and dynamic lighting.

Yes, it can be done, feasible at a simple level. Like not accounting for a shield, or elevation, etc.

Look for something like this in the Unity build.

[damned]

FG is a single threaded application. Every time any token on the map moved the LOS would have to be redrawn for every affected actor and this holds up other actions from happening. The new game engine (next year sometime) will likely have this - maybe not at launch but it will be on the road map - most likely...