You take damage in place of an ally.
Description
Cover is a support ability in Final Fantasy IX for physical attackers besides Zidane who learns his own version. When an enemy is about to physically attack a party member who is in Near Death status, the user intercepts the attack by taking the damage instead. Cover costs 6 Magic Stones to equip.
Obtained[]
Cover is learned from Red Hat, Gauntlets, Linen Cuirass, and Mythril Armor for variable amounts of AP; Steiner learns it the fastest at 20 AP, while Amarant learns it the slowest at 90 AP. Equipping multiple equipment pieces that all teach Cover, masters the ability faster.
Linen Cuirass, Mythril Armor, and Gauntlets teach the skill for Steiner and Freya. Linen Cuirass is first stolen from Black Waltz 3 on the deck of the cargo ship and soon after bought from Lindblum. Mythril Armor is first stolen from Thorn in Alexandria Castle, and is available from shops after the party returns from the Outer Continent. Gauntlets are found in a mountain crack on the world map near Oeilvert by using a Dead Pepper on it while riding Choco 
. The player can get it when Zorn and Thorn take Zidane Tribal's party to the Forgotten Continent if the player has advanced in the Chocobo Hot and Cold quest far enough to gain access to Dead Peppers.
Red Hat for Amarant is found in Mount Gulug, and also bought in Esto Gaza and Ipsen's Castle.
Mechanics[]
When an ally is on 16% or lower of their maximum HP, they hunch over in battle and their health numbers appear yellow, indicating they are in Near Death status. When an enemy's physical attack is directed at them, an ally with Cover who is not incapacitated by a status effect will intercept the attack to take the damage for themselves. The enemy attack can miss. The character will cover for allies even if they are themselves in Near Death.
Use[]
Cover is good for Steiner and Amarant and especially when coupled with Distract and Counter, and possibly High Tide equipment with the best physical Evasion. Cover is less useful on Freya if she is using Jump often. Cover and Protect Girls are also especially potent when the person covering has the Vanish status, as all physical attacks will miss against them even when covering. Another protection the player can give them is Protect.
Cover can be useful when trying to use Limit Glove with Quina to divert damage away from them. Since Quina must be at 1 HP for Limit Glove to work, they will satisfy the condition of Cover. To deal with magical attacks as well, Quina could also be given Reflect.