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What spells should be dropped?
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<blockquote data-quote="tetrasodium" data-source="post: 9015482" data-attributes="member: 93670"><p>You are literally describing a comic trope... Specifically <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman" target="_blank">This looks like a job for aquaman</a></p><p></p><p></p><p>[spoiler]</p><p><em>"I swear to God, they only call me when there's trouble at a dock. Or a river, or a lake, canal. A jetty."</em></p><p>— <strong>The Deep</strong>, <em><a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/TheBoys2019" target="_blank">The Boys (2019)</a></em></p><p>A situation where a hero's relatively useless abilities turn out to be phenomenally useful because <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotTailoredToTheParty" target="_blank">everything's contrived specifically in order</a> to <em>make</em> them useful, even though realistically there's no reason to expect everything to be so convenient. Often involves <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard" target="_blank">Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard</a>. May be used regularly or as a one-off as part of <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ADayInTheLimelight" target="_blank">A Day in the Limelight</a>. If the Aquaman character isn't seen on a regular basis anyway, the day-in-the-limelight version may involve a substantial <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ContrivedCoincidence" target="_blank">stroke of luck</a> in the events that lead up to Aquaman just happening to be around at the right time when there's an opportunity to use his powers.</p><p></p><p>Take <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/Aquaman" target="_blank">Aquaman</a>, for instance, since he mainly swims and talks to fish. But wait... the villain's <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CripplingOverspecialization" target="_blank">doomsday machine is powered by telepathically controllable sea plankton</a>? Wow, this guy's a great addition to the team!</p><p></p><p>A subtrope of <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotTailoredToTheParty" target="_blank">Plot Tailored to the Party</a>, where the same contrivance is used to make all the members of a team useful with their own time to shine. <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BenevolentArchitecture" target="_blank">Benevolent Architecture</a> overlaps with both, such as when the Evil Overlord's fortress has a crocodile moat or other highly specific barrier for the Aquaman equivalent character to circumvent.</p><p></p><p>If the character constantly uses a power to solve all his problems, but it generally makes sense (if you have a big sword, and fight monsters, it's not exactly contrived that a lot of monsters can be hurt by a big sword), it's <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer" target="_blank">When All You Have Is a Hammer…</a>.</p><p></p><p>The opposite is <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KryptoniteIsEverywhere" target="_blank">Kryptonite Is Everywhere</a>, when a hero's obscure weakness comes up much more frequently than would intuitively make sense, rather than a hero's obscure strength. Compare <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HighlySpecificCounterplay" target="_blank">Highly Specific Counterplay</a>, which only counters a specific thing or a small number of specific things, and <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeartIsAnAwesomePower" target="_blank">Heart Is an Awesome Power</a>, when the power seems uselessly specific but turns out to be useful in many situations. Compare and contrast <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway" target="_blank">What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?</a>, <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HandyShortcoming" target="_blank">Handy Shortcoming</a>, <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LethalJokeCharacter" target="_blank">Lethal Joke Character</a>, and <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NotCompletelyUseless" target="_blank">Not Completely Useless</a>.[/spoiler]</p><p></p><p>It's obvious when the GM is providing life support to a concept that fails too hard by itself. The player will chafe if the support given isn't exactly as desired & other players will start to notice the favoritism that goes with that support.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="tetrasodium, post: 9015482, member: 93670"] You are literally describing a comic trope... Specifically [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman']This looks like a job for aquaman[/URL] [spoiler] [I]"I swear to God, they only call me when there's trouble at a dock. Or a river, or a lake, canal. A jetty."[/I] — [B]The Deep[/B], [I][URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/TheBoys2019']The Boys (2019)[/URL][/I] A situation where a hero's relatively useless abilities turn out to be phenomenally useful because [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotTailoredToTheParty']everything's contrived specifically in order[/URL] to [I]make[/I] them useful, even though realistically there's no reason to expect everything to be so convenient. Often involves [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard']Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard[/URL]. May be used regularly or as a one-off as part of [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ADayInTheLimelight']A Day in the Limelight[/URL]. If the Aquaman character isn't seen on a regular basis anyway, the day-in-the-limelight version may involve a substantial [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ContrivedCoincidence']stroke of luck[/URL] in the events that lead up to Aquaman just happening to be around at the right time when there's an opportunity to use his powers. Take [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/Aquaman']Aquaman[/URL], for instance, since he mainly swims and talks to fish. But wait... the villain's [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CripplingOverspecialization']doomsday machine is powered by telepathically controllable sea plankton[/URL]? Wow, this guy's a great addition to the team! A subtrope of [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotTailoredToTheParty']Plot Tailored to the Party[/URL], where the same contrivance is used to make all the members of a team useful with their own time to shine. [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BenevolentArchitecture']Benevolent Architecture[/URL] overlaps with both, such as when the Evil Overlord's fortress has a crocodile moat or other highly specific barrier for the Aquaman equivalent character to circumvent. If the character constantly uses a power to solve all his problems, but it generally makes sense (if you have a big sword, and fight monsters, it's not exactly contrived that a lot of monsters can be hurt by a big sword), it's [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer']When All You Have Is a Hammer…[/URL]. The opposite is [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KryptoniteIsEverywhere']Kryptonite Is Everywhere[/URL], when a hero's obscure weakness comes up much more frequently than would intuitively make sense, rather than a hero's obscure strength. Compare [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HighlySpecificCounterplay']Highly Specific Counterplay[/URL], which only counters a specific thing or a small number of specific things, and [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeartIsAnAwesomePower']Heart Is an Awesome Power[/URL], when the power seems uselessly specific but turns out to be useful in many situations. Compare and contrast [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway']What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?[/URL], [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HandyShortcoming']Handy Shortcoming[/URL], [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LethalJokeCharacter']Lethal Joke Character[/URL], and [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NotCompletelyUseless']Not Completely Useless[/URL].[/spoiler] It's obvious when the GM is providing life support to a concept that fails too hard by itself. The player will chafe if the support given isn't exactly as desired & other players will start to notice the favoritism that goes with that support. [/QUOTE]
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