(Slightly) Uphill Battle

Returning to the Ikosa Framework’s rules for cover; in addition to the special point identification mechanism for downward melee strikes, there are some special adjustments made to melee source corner points when melee attacks are made on the same level.

The main reason for adjustments to handle the cases when the source and target cell are on the same level, but the target is on a “slightly” higher step. In this case, the “front”-lower corner(s) of the source cell must go through the low step, creating cover. When attacking a target cell on the same level (based on cell-specific gravity), Ikosa adjusts the lower corners upward by 30% towards the upper corners on the same up-down edge. (It also adjusts the upper corners down 5%).

Currently these percent factors are hard-coded, but may likely be calculated by other factors in the future.

The “modeled” result is that a melee attack against a target on a platform less than 1.5 feet higher than the attacker does not automatically get penalized by cover.

(Note: when any component of a melee attack is upward or downward, these adjustments are not applied. Also, reach/ranged attacks originate from a single point, so there is no need to adjust source corners).