So I've been bursting my brain trying to understand Cover and how high ground affects it, as it doesn't seem to be mentioned at all in the rules (except for Prone). At first I thought Partial Cover's "at least 1/3rd of the unit's volume is hidden from view" would cover it: the roof is hiding 1/3rd or more of the model, and the model is in base contact with the roof; but, apparently, that's not the case. Studying the threads here and here--which is all I've been able to find on the subject--I've been trying to figure some method of explanation through which I can understand the intent, as well as explain it to others. So let me know if I have this correct: For the purposes of determining Partial Cover, elevation has no affect: in other words, all units are treated as if they were all on the same two-dimensional plane (unless a specific rule, like Prone, is in play). For the purposes of determining Total Cover, elevation is taken into consideration: if one unit cannot see another unit at all due to a roof being in the way, then that unit has Total Cover. So as an example: if a unit is standing on an empty roof, and an attacker can see at least their head, then that unit does not have any cover. If the attacker cannot see them at all, then they have Total Cover. If the unit was to go Prone, and the attacker cannot see their base (which is what their Size is when Prone), then they have Total Cover. If the unit was to go Prone, and the attacker can see their base, then they have Partial Cover. Did I get it all correct?
Not really, the game is always three dimensional and thoroughly point of view based, but I think where you went wrong and it's one of the more hidden technicalities of the game. A piece of scenery is something you can be in contact with but not stand on (without Climbing). The playing surface is what you can stand on. If you're on elevation, a flat roof with no railing of any description, you won't have any scenery to be in base to base contact with. This is why the rule regarding prone is important, as it allows you to gain cover on rooftops without railing. Also keep in mind that judging sharp angles from below is hard, particularly since you'd have to _noclip_ through the table to get a proper view on whether the unit on top of the building is actually 1/3 covered or not and trust me when I say that dentist cameras are very expensive (been needing one at work for a task that doesn't justify the expenditure)
You can't ignore height for determining partial cover, to qoute the rules; "Prone troopers that are the target of a BS Attack declared by an enemy from a lower position than them will benefit from Partial Cover MODs against that attack." The ambiguity comes from what does it mean for an enemy to be in "a lower position," as there are a number of ways to interpret it. In the metas I have visited they all have used the same sensible interpretation in that if the lower model can look along a flat plane to draw LoS, then there is no cover In this example cover is granted, X must look up at Y to draw LoS; ................................Y x - - - - - - - - - - - - >[ x.............................. [ x ..............................[ In this example cover is not granted, X can look straight ahead to see Y. X --------------------> Y X ......................... [ X .........................[ (EDIT the forum really doesn't like spaces and apparenty like to reformat your stuff in nonsensicale ways).
Seems right to me. Just three notes: It does not matter if the lower troop can see the upper one's head, but 3 mm of the upper one's silhouette. Silhouette and head position might vary widly. The prone upper troop only has partial cover if the elevation (roof) is higher than the lower troop's silhouette. This usually means that the prone trooper has to be right at the roof's edge. And finally, of course, any scenary like crates on a roof change all that... Edit: You damn ninjas!
How is this at all quantifiably different than what I said? If a flat surface (like a roof) cannot provide partial cover, then it might as well be on the same plane when trying to determine partial cover. I already said "unless a specific rule, like Prone, is in play".
Because you made an oversimplification that could lead to some corner cases that you might not have foreseen. Such as for instance, that you're oversimplifying line of fire or that you might miss small terrain differences for non-simple terrain. It *always* hurts rules comprehension in this game when you simplify stuff down to 2D from what I can see of people asking questions.
I'm just trying to understand the rules-as-intended that people seem to be mentioning about it. If I just went by the rules-as-written, then roofs would provide partial cover; I don't see why they wouldn't, except that the consensus seems to be that they don't, without anyone giving any specific, non-vague answers as to why they would not.
There is a lot of this game that is the way it is, and sometimes rules only appear in the examples. The ruleset is still a work in progress as far as cleanliness is concerned, 3rd edition is much better than second and I hope the 4th edition is as much an improvement over 3rd as 3rd was over 2nd. To answer your point, as near as I've been able to tell over the years th game seems to assume that the ground you stand on, be it a road or a roof, does not provide partial cover, unless the clause in the prone trait is fulfilled.
http://infinitythewiki.com/en/Airborne_Deployment_(AD) N3 Frequently Asked Question FAQ Version: 1.6, Apr 2019 Q: Does this means that a troop can not deploy on a rooftop because the troop will be in contact with a piece of scenery? A: You can deploy on a rooftop. When the rule says that the troop cannot be deployed in contact with a piece of scenery, this means that the troop cannot gain cover from that piece of scenery. Related Pages: Airborne Deployment, Scenery Structures Not gonna say it's pretty, there's a reason why this question poked me to write this down in the N4 suggestion thread. And yes, there's a pretty big problem with that FAQ, because cover is both a) subjective to where an enemy is currently standing and b) including total cover, but we should be smart enough to deduce what they're trying to clarify given the context of the rules it is making answers about.
