Cover save for Swarmlord

Saw on a video a guy runs the Swarmlord behind a brood of Gargoyles for the 4+ cover save!

Is this possible due to the 50% cover rule?

If it is at least 50% covered by them, he would get it. I have seen this get abused by modeling to advantages.

Yea I can imagine! but I found that a squad with a lot of fire power can take them out with normal bolt guns within the first turn or two so pretty much not worth the points!

I would say that it doesn't because the monsterous creatures and vehicles can't receive a cover save from smaller models. The gargoyles base is the same size as a termagaunts base they are just on flying sticks. Just my two cents.

MC's and vehicles get cover saves based on actual line of sight. Each individual case is determined thusly; if the target is more than 50% obscured from the point of view of the firing model, then the target gets a 4+ cover save. Also please note that vehicles get a save based on the facing that the firer is in. If the shooting model is in the side arc of a vehicle target, the vehicle only needs 50% of the side arc covered to get a save. Finally, if the firing model is in a vehicle's side arc for example, but can't see even the smallest part of the side, just the front or back facing, that vehicle gets a 3+ save due to the deflection (angle) of the shot. A lot of folks forget that one...

That would be true for terrain Kirby but when it comes to models the Monsterous creatures and vehicles do not gain cover from intervening models that are smaller then them. That is the only case where true line of site doesn't come into play. The reason being is that someone could model the smaller based creatures to be taller so as to create cover by using the true line of site 50% blocking rule.

I don't see anything on page 62 that references smaller models, maybe you could point me to that rule? In the case of the swarmlord, placing a flock of gargoyles in front for cover could certainly obscure 50% of a monstrous creature. Ten marines stacked up in front of a rhino wouldn't hide it from sight, but I'm guessing it would hide 50% of that facing.

Modeling smaller based models to gain height is modeling for advantage and is cheating, but that's a whole 'nother animal...

krak_kirby wrote:

..if the target is more than 50% obscured from the point of view of the firing model, then the target gets a 4+ cover save.

It truly is that easy to determine.. honest