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Alright, let's just get right to it. Do flyers give cover just like any other intervening models?

I would think when its flying=no, hovering=maybe.

By the RAW, it does give cover is the models behind it are at least 25% obscured. In fact, given the right positioning, a model behind it could even be completely blocked by line of sight. In practise, I'd be happy to ignore the flyer as an intervening model.

 Yarium wrote:
By the RAW, it does give cover is the models behind it are at least 25% obscured. In fact, given the right positioning, a model behind it could even be completely blocked by line of sight. In practise, I'd be happy to ignore the flyer as an intervening model.

I mean, really, flyers are all the way up into the sky, it's hard to imagine they give cover.

I'm playing Chaos Marines against Tyranids and I assumed flyers don't give cover. I disembarked two squads of Chaos Marines with plasma and melta to shoot at a hive tyrant but there's a flying tyrant blocking him a bit. He's got venomthropes behind him and he's also accompanied by 3 tyrant guard so if he gets cover from the flyrant, we're looking at a 3+ cover instead of 5+.


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 Big Mac wrote:
I would think when its flying=no, hovering=maybe.

I thought the same thing but I can't find anything about flyers and cover. Which means I'm gonna have to treat the flyer just like any other model, footslogging or otherwise.

The game uses True Line of Sight. If its blocked, then its blocked, and Flyers have no special rules that prevent them from blocking Line of Sight.

 Lord Tarkin wrote:

I mean, really, flyers are all the way up into the sky, it's hard to imagine they give cover.

If they're between the firing model and the target they do, just like any other model.

Now the position of a flyer on a flying base might make that difficult, but if the positioning works out they give cover just like anything else.

Likewise, they qualify for cover just like any other vehicle.

 Big Mac wrote:
I would think when its flying=no, hovering=maybe.

No. Cover is all by True Line of Sight. And nothing in the flyer rules change that

 Lord Tarkin wrote:

I mean, really, flyers are all the way up into the sky, it's hard to imagine they give cover.

We tend to house rule it this way. But they aren't really for the game. They are just where they are. The same goes for flying monstrous creatures with or without flying stand.
Models are where they are -> get and receive cover from where the actual model is.


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I almost lost my mind the first time I realised this. I could not assault a nurgle deamon prince due to flying but at the same time getting a cover save from some shrubbery.

RAW is RAW don't try to apply logic into a game in the year 40k

If you look at the fluff of cover saves, it actually explains that it isn't just the intervening unit 'catching bullets', it is that that unit intimidates/distracts the shooting unit from their intended target too.

If I had my sights set on a cultist at the other end of the battle field as a heldrake flew over, I sure as hell would be distracted!