Cover (ability)

Cover , also called Guard, is a recurring ability in the Final Fantasy series. It allows a character to take physical damage in the place of an ally. It is usually associated with the Paladin or Knight classes.
==Appearances==
===Final Fantasy III===
The Cover ability is available for the Knight class. The Knight will automatically take physical attacks for any allies in HP Critical status.
===Final Fantasy IV===
Cover is used by Cecil as a command ability once he becomes a Paladin. Cover has a Charge Time of 0. He can use it to take damage in the place of an ally of his choice. He automatically covers any characters who are low on HP.
Cease Cover removes the Cover status and places Cecil into Defend until his next turn comes up. Cease Cover has a Charge Time of 0.
Due to a glitch, in the WonderSwan Color port, Cecil covers allies even as a Dark Knight.
====Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-====
Cover and Cease Cover are Cecil's exclusive abilities. Cover allows Cecil to take damage in the place of an ally of his choice. He automatically covers any characters who are low on HP.
====Final Fantasy IV: The After Years====
Cover is an ability used by Cecil. It has a Charge Time of 0. Cecil blocks physical attacks on allies and automatically covers allies in critical status. He does not use Cover when he himself is in critical health.
Yang has a variation on the move called Cover Counter. He covers an ally, and after taking a hit, counterattacks the enemy. Cover Counter has a Charge Time of 0.
Cease Cover removes the Cover status and places Cecil and/or Yang into Defend until their next turn comes up. Cease Cover has a Charge Time of 0.
===Final Fantasy V===
Cover is the Level 1 ability for the Knight class, learned for 10 ABP. It covers characters who are low on HP. Cover can be useful when combined with the Guard command, which makes the Knight immune to physical damage.
===Final Fantasy VI===
The Knight's Code relic allows characters to cover allies who are in Critical status. The effect will not activate if the wearer is under the petrify, invisible, zombie, sleep, confuse, stop, frozen, chanting, or hidden status, or if the critical character is under the invisible status.
The relic is found in the Returner Hideout. If multiple characters equip a Knight's Code, all attempt to cover for an attacked ally, and one of them will be selected at random to take the damage.
There is also an enemy attack called Overture that forces an opponent to Cover for the caster when attacked physically. The Master's Scroll relic bypasses Overture's Cover effect, but it only affects the Attack command and not the X Fight command.
===Final Fantasy VII===
The Cover Materia makes a character shield other allies from single-target physical attacks. For each level, Cover gets a boost of +20%, to a maximum of 100%, and will cover all physical attacks, including several items, such as Elixir and Grenade. The character covers allies regardless of anyone's HP, unlike in previous installments. Cover is found in the garden outside Aerith's house in Midgar Sector 5 Slums. Cover can also be bought for 1,000 gil in Wall Market after the fall of Sector 7.
===Final Fantasy VIII===
Cover is taught by the Guardian Force Brothers for 100 AP. Damage is halved when covering, but the character equipped with it must be one space away from a party member to use it. Cover does not work for multi-target attacks. If a party member is attacked by a physical attack that would otherwise kill them, the character with Cover will take the damage instead. Cover works in conjunction with Defend and Counter and other reaction abilities.
===Final Fantasy IX===
Cover is a support ability that allows the user to protect an ally when their HP is at 16% or below. It can be learned by Steiner (20 AP), Amarant (90 AP), and Freya (30 AP). It can be learned by Steiner and Freya through the Linen Cuirass, Gauntlets, and Mythril Armor, and Amarant through the Red Hat.
Protect Girls is a similar ability, which allows Zidane to cover a female party member when their HP is 50% or below. It can be learned by Zidane (35 AP) through the Butterfly Sword and Leather Shirt. Protect Girls covers Dagger, Freya, Eiko, and Beatrix.
===Final Fantasy X===
Guard is a Special ability appearing in Auron's section of the standard Sphere Grid. When a character uses Guard they will intercept physical attacks on the party, regardless of the health status of their allies. The ability remains in effect until the character's next turn.
The improved version, Sentinel, has a similar effect, except the character will also take a defensive stance and damage from all physical attacks will be halved.
If Tidus uses Guard or Sentinel to shield a party member, the player earns affection points toward the person whom they guarded.
===Final Fantasy XI===
Cover is a job ability available to Paladins upon reaching level 35. Cover relies upon the character wishing to be covered to physically position themselves behind the Paladin for it to be effective. Cover does not negate damage, but allows the Paladin to take damage in place of the intended target for 15 seconds.
This is usually used when a particular party member has gained a great deal of unwanted enmity, though the use of this ability does not actually shift enmity. The effect of Cover can be increased if the Paladin is wearing certain pieces of equipment (ie: Gallant Coronet or Valor Surcoat) and Cover also enhances the effect of some equipment, such as the sword Save the Queen. Cover may be used once every three minutes. 
===Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings===
Cover is used by Basch and allows him to take damage for his allies. He learns the ability at Level 45. If he has the Hero's Monograph support, damage will be greatly reduced when covering. His Grand Helm accessory improves it.
===Final Fantasy XIV===
Cover is an ability available to Paladins upon completing their Level 40 job quest "Power Struggles". For 12 seconds and the cost of 50 Oath Guage, all damage inflicted upon the targeted party member is redirected to the Paladin, as long as the Paladin remains within 10 yalms of the party member. This is normally considered useless in end game content. 
Prior to 5.0, in PvP, Cover takes 100% of the damage and reduces the Oath Gauge periodically by 20 while Cover is active. The action Uncover removes the cover status.
===Final Fantasy Tactics Advance===
Cover is a job ability available to Paladins who choose a unit within range to Cover. If that unit is attacked, the Paladin temporarily switches places with him or her. Any reaction abilities the Paladin has will trigger. The ability can be learned from the SaveTheQueen for 200 AP.
====Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift====
Cover is a job ability available to Paladins, learned for 300 AP from the Save the Queen. The Paladin chooses a unit within the range of four spaces to cover. If that unit is attacked, the Paladin temporarily appears in front of him or her to take the attack (an improvement over the previous game that means even if the Paladin and the unit being covered are both targeted by the same attack, only the Paladin will be harmed).
Cover now works on any counter attacks that the covered unit may trigger, and negates any knockback that would be done by critical hits/skills. Neither character can activate their reaction abilities when the Paladin covers an attack.
===Final Fantasy Tactics S===
===Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King===
Cover is a level 10 research ability for the Warrior job, which caps at level 100 for the ability. The higher the level of Cover, the more effective the ability is. The ability Defend is the initial ability for the Warrior job, and has a chance of reducing physical damage by half. The ability's level caps at level 100, and the higher the level, the more effective it is.
===Final Fantasy Legend III===
Guard acts like Cover, it will guard a particular character for a turn and if that character is attacked. The character will take the attack or special attack and receive the damage.
===Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light===
Cover is an ability learned by the Paladin and allows them to receive damage in place of a chosen ally.
===Final Fantasy Dimensions===
Cover is the level 5 ability of the Paladin class, requiring 130 AP to learn. It requires 1 slot to equip for characters not a Paladin to use it.
===Final Fantasy Dimensions II===
===Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia===
===Pictlogica Final Fantasy===
====Pictlogica Final Fantasy ≒====
===Final Fantasy Explorers===
Cover is unique to the Paladin job, with a cooldown time of 15.0 seconds. Activating the ability and holding the button creates a barrier around the paladin, and the paladin and any allies inside the barrier will not take damage from enemy attacks. The paladin cannot move while the barrier is active, but can be pushed or pulled by effects such as gravity spells. This effectively defends against many enemy attacks, with few exceptions, similar to the sword skill Deflect. However, Cover drains AP very quickly if the barrier is sustained, and has a much longer cooldown than Deflect. Since the area of effect is quite small, allies must stand very close to the paladin to receive protection.
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
Cover is granted via some characters' Legend Materia. When a party member is targeted by most physical attacks, there is a chance that the hero with the Cover ability will block the attack, taking reduced damage from the attack.
Cover Legend Materia obtained from completing a hero's Legend Sphere grants a 40% chance to cover with 50% damage reduction, while Cover granted from relic Legend Materia gives a 30% chance to cover with 20% damage reduction.
===Final Fantasy Brave Exvius===
Cover is a passive that has a 5% chance to take damage for an ally. It is learned by Rain, Cecil, Charlotte and Ollie, or obtained as Clyne's Trust Reward. It can also be equipped via Golem's skill grid after upgrading him to 2★ rarity.
===World of Final Fantasy===
Cover is a passive ability that if HP is high enough, allows one to sometimes take damage in place of an imperiled ally. It can be used by Goblin Guard, Maduin, Minimantoise, and Sphinx.
===Final Fantasy Trading Card Game===
Three of Cecil's cards have abilities that approximate Cover. One card featuring his Dissidia art only allows the opponent's effects to target Cecil, and his card featuring his SD art causes damage dealt to the player's Forwards to be dealt to Cecil instead. The third card, featuring his Amano art, bears two abilities with similar effects. The first effect has the player choose a Forward and have Cecil take any damage done to it in its place for the rest of the turn, and the second effect has the player choose a Forward and it cannot be targeted by the opponent's effects for the rest of the turn. Both abilities cost two Light CP to use.
Two Knight cards, one depicting Ingus and the other depicting Arc, have the effect that when they are in a party, any damage that would be dealt to other Forwards in that party is instead dealt to them.
==Non-Final Fantasy appearances==
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A character can cover for an ally from a physical attack, said character will take the damage in place of the ally they are protecting. The ability is gained through the Defend command, and then selecting the ally that wants to be protected.
===Heavenstrike Rivals===
Cover is Dark Knight Cecil and Paladin Cecil's ability. For 3 turns, other Allied Units in Target Lane take 0 damage when attacked and this unit takes 100% damage. Removes any other active Cover skill from Allied Units.
===Bravely series===
In Bravely Default, Protect Ally is the specialty support ability. If an ally with less than 20% of HP left takes a single-target attack, the character with the Protect Ally support ability will take the attack instead. It can be learned at the Knight's job level 5.
Full Cover is a Chivalry ability learned by Knights at job level 10. During the entire turn this is used, when the specified ally takes a single-target physical attack, the Full Cover user will take the hit instead, but only suffers half the damage.
In Bravely Second: End Layer, Protect Ally is the job level 4 support ability for the . If an ally with less than 20% HP is targeted with a single-target physical attack, the user will take the attack in their place. Any job can equip it for the cost of 1 slot.
Full Cover is the job level 7 command ability for the Knight. It triggers at the beginning of a turn. During the entire turn this is used, when the specified ally takes a single-target physical attack, the user will take the hit instead, but only suffer half the damage.
==Similar abilities==
The Bodyguard synergy skill in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth may be inspired by the Cover Materia from Final Fantasy VII. Using Bodyguard makes the player's partner defend them while the player moves about the field, rendering the partner immobile for a short time. Tifa, Aerith, and Cait Sith can initiate Bodyguard, Aerith having the most partners for this ability.
The Provoke skill draws enemies' ire toward the user, helping protect weaker party members. Provoke often works well with abilities that reduce damage taken, like Defend, Sentinel, and Steelguard.
==Gallery==
FFIII NES Cover.png|Final Fantasy III (NES).
FFIIIDS Cover.png|Final Fantasy III (DS).
Ff4 CoverSNES.png|Final Fantasy IV (SNES)
FFIV_Cover.png|Final Fantasy IV (GBA).
FFIVDS Cover.png|Final Fantasy IV (DS).
Ability Cover FFIVPSP.png|Final Fantasy IV (PSP).
FFIV TAY Cecil Cover.png|Cecil's Cover sprite (Wii).
FF4PSP Ability Cover.png|Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (PSP).
FF4PSP Ability Cover Counter.png|Cover Counter in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (PSP).
FFIV TAY iOS Cover Counter.png|Cover Counter in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (iOS).
Cover from FFV Pixel Remaster.jpg|Final Fantasy V (Pixel Remaster).
FFVI Cover.png|One character covering in Final Fantasy VI.
FFVI Cover3.png|Three characters covering in Final Fantasy VI.
FFVII Aerith Cover.png|Aerith covering in Final Fantasy VII.
FFVII Barret Cover.png|Barret covering in Final Fantasy VII.
FFVII Cait Sith Cover.png|Cait Sith covering in Final Fantasy VII.
FFVII Cid Cover.png|Cid covering in Final Fantasy VII.
FFVII Cloud Cover.png|Cloud covering in Final Fantasy VII.
FFVII Tifa Cover.png|Tifa covering in Final Fantasy VII.
FFVII Vincent Cover.png|Vincent covering in Final Fantasy VII.
FFVII Cover.png|Yuffie covering in Final Fantasy VII.
RW Cover.png|Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.
PLD using Cover from FFXIV.png|Final Fantasy XIV.
FFTA Cover.png|Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
Cover Effect.png|Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light.
FFLIII Guard.png|Final Fantasy Legend III.
DFFOO Cover.jpg|Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia.
PFF Cover.png|Pictlogica Final Fantasy.
FFBE Cover.png|Final Fantasy Brave Exvius.
Category:Recurring support abilities
Category:Recurring command abilities