Action Adventure Tropes

Elements used for exciting sequences, or primarily only found in stories about adventure.

A
After a big, property-damage-causing event, the main characters are seen on a cliff or plateau overlooking the ruins that resulted. A blade that is somehow so sharp that it can cut through almost anything, and never get dull. The development of immunity to a particular drug or poison by taking small doses for a long time. When escaping danger, a character who can fly will never think about flying up. When an Action Girl finds herself in a dress, she'll rip it before going into a situation that actually requires action. When an action adventure show has more action of a higher quality in the opening sequence than in an entire episode. That bit where you actually watch the actors instead of the special effects. When a shy or frumpy girl is embroiled in an adventure, by the end of it she has come out of her shell and often gotten sexier and/or more Badass. When the injured hero gets his injuries treated in a quiet scene after one of heavy action. When heroes find themselves trapped in a room with all doors and windows locked, the quickest exit is always through the ventilation duct. Where the heroes' home base is attacked. Imminent death by suffocation is always a good way to ratchet up the tension. An ally who is mistrustful or can't be bothered with your group, preferring to do things on their own; he generally joins up at some point, though. Where the heroes are saved from a scary monster by a scarier monster. Where you actively call the scarier monster to fight the current monster, and hope that by the time the dust settles you can scurry away. No matter what time of day or night, the main cast are always the ones on duty, ready to deal with problems. Where the hero values the life of their love interest over absolutely everything else, often including the rest of the world. Aliens are threatening the entire world - but it's up to the USA to beat them! The habit of some action works to take place around Christmas time.
 * Above the Ruins
 * Absurdly Sharp Blade
 * Acquired Poison Immunity
 * Acrophobic Bird
 * Action Dress Rip
 * Action-Hogging Opening
 * Action Film Quiet Drama Scene
 * Adrenaline Makeover
 * After-Action Patchup
 * Air Vent Passageway
 * All Your Base Are Belong to Us
 * Almost Out of Oxygen
 * Aloof Ally
 * Always a Bigger Fish
 * Summon Bigger Fish
 * Always on Duty
 * Always Save the Girl
 * America Saves the Day
 * An Asskicking Christmas

B
These guys can pull things behind the wheel that you'd love to be able to do (though not necessarily to be in the passenger's seat at the time). This is the place where bad guys hang out to plot their nefarious deeds. Where heroes or villains dress up as a religious figure as part of a disguise. The character used to draw out the bad guys for a trap. Often the Butt Monkey's job. The danger of the situation has forged a friendship between the Heroes and his companions that transcends the usual meaning of the word. A trapped character does this to attract attention from people outside. The bartender slides the cup, mug or shot glass across the bar to a patron. A super-strong character or monster just punches through a door or wall to reach the victim on the other side. A character makes his escape by ducking into the John. The heroic swoop to save the day just in the nick of time. In which the hero runs at full tilt to save the day or fulfill his goals, usually scored with a rousing fanfare. A type of action movie made in the 1970s and '80s where the heroes are always black. Making fun of the Blaxploitation genre. When someone is shot, they show no wounds or blood, they just crumple up and fall on the floor. You think someone is acting like an impostor, so you say something to them with an erroneous fact, and see if they react to it. When a character hides in a bodybag and is wheeled into a hospital or other facility, then gets out and does his/her mission. Where the most elite defenders of the Big Bad are exclusively female warriors. The ending of an episode, season, character arc, or especially entire series that ends in an open-ended tragedy. Techniques are used to dispose of bombs, regardless if it was disarmed or not. A real-time computer map is used, showing the positions of military units (or possibly a physical map with model units). When a bomb is going to go off indoors, the hero hides in a bathtub or fridge. A pithy line said by the hero just after he's killed a bad guy. When a villain fails to kill the hero when they have him cornered or captured. A secret passage is hidden behind a bookcase or triggered by the removal or manipulation of a book in a bookcase. A drug or potion to allow severely injured heroes to get back on their feet and finish off the bad guy. Don't you hate it when you get all tied up with things? When the modern weaponry or equipment has been destroyed or taken away, the heroes resort to outdated stuff to do the job. Heroes showing off their power by busting out of chains, ropes or similar restraints. When you want to show that the situation is horrible, make sure your toughest character is scared! Where a character must go back in person (often through long, dangerous roads) to deliver important news. Catching bullets translates into instant Badass. Grab a nearby Mook and let him block bullets while you head for safety.
 * Badass Driver
 * Bad Guy Bar
 * Bad Habits
 * The Bait
 * Band of Brothers
 * Banging for Help
 * Bar Slide
 * Barrier-Busting Blow
 * Bathroom Break Out
 * Big Damn Heroes
 * Big Heroic Run
 * Blaxploitation
 * Blaxploitation Parody
 * Bloodless Carnage
 * Bluff the Impostor
 * Bodybag Trick
 * Bodyguard Babes
 * Bolivian Army Ending
 * Bomb Disposal
 * Bombers on the Screen
 * Bombproof Appliance
 * Bond One-Liner
 * Bond Villain Stupidity
 * Bookcase Passage
 * Boomerang Comeback: The thrown weapon that you thought missed its target is coming back around for a second go.
 * Bottled Heroic Resolve
 * Bound and Gagged
 * Break Out the Museum Piece
 * Breaking the Bonds
 * Break the Badass
 * Bring News Back
 * Bullet Catch
 * Bulletproof Human Shield

C
A fight aboard, or atop, a moving gondola at great height. Remain unheard thanks to a nearby louder noise. The hero(ine) may need to undress to take a bath, but won't ever get caught without a weapon. Can the heroes escape in time to avoid becoming the main course? The higher you are falling from, the more likely it is that a car will be there when you land. When a series of assassins goes after the hero, either from a bounty offer or hired by the villain. Where heroes in danger will crack jokes or speak casually rather than gibbering in terror. If the hero falls from too high a point, he will inevitably be rescued. Exactly what it looks like -- the hero or someone else gets caught in a tree snare or other boobytrap. When a cave's mouth looks like an actual mouth, usually that of a monster. Where the heroes are saved in the last minute by other characters. Where apparent rescuers turn out to be actually siding with the villain. Where potential rescuers refuse to help the heroes. ...and usually only after the hero has dealt with the threat that needed their attention. A character avoids pursuit or detection by hanging from the ceiling of the room or hallway. An exciting set piece staged in Act 2 of a work to keep the audience excited enough to pay attention through the entire work. Any time a hero stops a villain's plans, and he takes it out, not on the hero or his friends, but on innocent bystanders or "weaker" people. A standby of all Caper films, or any other action story where a museum is involved. A Badass uses his cigar to light the fuse on a stick of dynamite. Blades slice clean through bodies and other things, with no jagged edges or thick wounds, and can slice any body part easily. A creature, character, hero, villain... stands at the edge of a cliff and lets loose a roar to the heavens. Where the hero must climb an insanely tall cliff to proceed. The hero can get in anywhere if he only holds one. A fictional spy agency full of glamorous secret agents, which has no relationship to real-life agencies. Any subterranean area will be full of curtains of spider webs. The smaller character attacks the bigger character by climbing his body to attack a vulnerable spot. When the climax of the work takes place around some big public event such as a concert, performance, sporting event, etc. When Fascists and Communists are conflated into one big oppressive mass. An "evil" or out-of-the-ordinary character can always be identified by his concealing trenchcoat, fedora and occasionally dark glasses. A professional killer suddenly finds himself being hunted by the very organization he works for. The heroes need to hide from something. That's why they happen to stumble upon a hidden space. If the heroes crash-land or shipwreck while on a mission against a powerful enemy, they will almost always wash up very close to that enemy's hidden headquarters. When escaping anywhere near a body of water, there will be a boat leaving the harbour the heroes can jump onto Whenever someone is tied up, the bad guys always tend to leave something sharp in the room that the victim can use to cut herself free. The hero is helpless and about to be killed, when the bad guy is taken out by an attack from behind just in time. The heroes have just finished their infiltration, but on their way out a guard sees them and sounds the alarm. Where the hero is tortured via some ridiculous method, like tickling or opera music. Luckily, only mild discomfort remains. An epic, one-sided ass-kicking where the kicked doesn't stand a chance. The single thing that sweetens the defeat in an epic, one-sided ass-kicking somewhat. Given to secret agents in case they're ever captured. After you get your revenge, your target's friends and family will vow revenge on you... and the cycle continues.
 * Cable Car Action Sequence
 * Cacophony Cover-Up
 * Can't Bathe Without a Weapon
 * Captured by Cannibals
 * Car Cushion
 * Carnival of Killers
 * Casual Danger Dialog
 * Catch a Falling Star
 * Caught in a Snare
 * Cave Mouth
 * The Cavalry
 * Cavalry Betrayal
 * Cavalry Refusal
 * The Cavalry Arrives Late
 * Ceiling Cling
 * The Centerpiece Spectacular
 * The Chain of Harm
 * Chekhov's Exhibit
 * Cigar Fuse-Lighting
 * Clean Cut
 * Clifftop Caterwauling
 * Climbing the Cliffs of Insanity
 * Clipboard of Authority
 * Cloak and Dagger
 * Cobweb Jungle
 * Colossus Climb
 * Concert Climax
 * Commie Nazis
 * Conspicuous Trenchcoat
 * Contract on the Hitman
 * Convenient Cranny
 * Convenient Enemy Base
 * Convenient Escape Boat
 * Conveniently Placed Sharp Thing
 * Conveniently-Timed Attack From Behind
 * Conveniently Timed Guard
 * Cool and Unusual Punishment
 * Cuffs Off, Rub Wrists
 * Curb Stomp Battle
 * Curb Stomp Cushion
 * Cyanide Pill
 * Cycle of Revenge

D
Where the barber ends up cutting your throat with his razor (or almost doing so). The Hero is called upon to step up to the plate and be awesome. A classic denouement - the hero and villain have a shootout in a darkened building, with a suitably suspenseful final shot. The day when all the prophecies and plans come to a head in a massive final confrontation. Here's a hint: Don't get hit by it. A backup plan in case of untimely death or incapacitation, used as a threat to protect the holder. The driver of a vehicle is killed; immediately, his foot gets stuck on the gas pedal, causing the car to speed out of control. A gauntlet filled with enemies and/or booby traps that the hero character has to pass through. An obvious hiding place is made visible to the pursuer, while the pursued actually escapes via some other means. Someone who lives a perfectly normal life for a long time, all the while being a mole or spy for another government or organization. Used to refer to the highest state of alert (it's actually the lowest stage). If you want to get into the enemy base, just pose as a delivery guy. A room in the Evil Overlord's lair where the mooks go to indulge their debauched pleasures. When the character gives a detailed accounting of how he's hurt, or is hurting another. The characters find themselves getting into a fight in a Greasy Spoon. The conspicuous lack of grime, dirt, or bruises on actors, especially those in action sequences. A character has to dash madly around a room catching stacks of falling breakable items before they hit the floor and smash. The hero appears to have suffered a fatal wound during the final battle, only to get up a few moments later. VERY common in family action movies. How else are you going to have a proper adventure? Where large numbers of mooks bring you down by jumping on top of you and physically dragging you to the ground. It's a very imposing door, you just know it's not just a collection of knobs and hinges, and going through is a Big Decision. Any work featuring martial arts or Eastern mysticism will have either an Eastern dragon or a Yin/Yang symbol somewhere. An otherwise comedic story trying its hand at a dramatic moment near the show's last episode or two, totally out of left field. Where the hero dresses up in a face-concealing suit of armor stolen from the enemy to infiltrate their base. The first inkling that a monster is above you? That yucky liquid splashing over your shoulders... Where heroes just blast through or over that complicated maze or trial that the villain has set up, rather than actually solving it. The act of exploring a dungeon while looking for treasure, avoiding traps, and beating off monsters. The ruins are ancient, but damn if those giant guillotine blades aren't as sharp as the day they were made! Where a secret agent has to dye his or her hair to avoid detection.
 * Dangerously Close Shave
 * Dare to Be Badass
 * Darkened Building Shootout
 * The Day of Reckoning
 * Deadly Gas
 * Dead-Man Switch
 * Deadfoot Leadfoot
 * Death Course
 * Decoy Hiding Place
 * Deep-Cover Agent
 * Defcon Five
 * Delivery Guy Infiltration
 * Den of Iniquity
 * Diagnosis From Dr. Badass
 * Diner Brawl
 * Dirt Forcefield
 * Dish Dash
 * Disney Death
 * Ditch the Bodyguards
 * Dog Pile of Doom
 * Door of Doom
 * Dragons Up the Yin-Yang
 * Drama Bomb Finale
 * Dressing as the Enemy
 * Drool Hello
 * Dungeon Bypass
 * Dungeon Crawling
 * Durable Deathtrap
 * Dye or Die

E
There's no better way to make a lesson stick than by adding explosions. The best way to flee The Mafia. Some one (or some thing) hostile is coming into view from behind and below. Try not to push that button accidentally. How our hero manages to get money, IDs, and weapons while on the run. Will the hero/villain/monster be in the elevator when it opens? Of course not! He/she/it is hiding somewhere nearby, ready to kick ass. When a nuclear bomb shows up in a story, it'll inevitably end up in the hands of the bad guys. Everybody knows kung fu and uses it often and awesomely, and I mean everyone. A character is chased by a whole bunch of other characters. When the events of a whole story (novel, arc, movie, etc.) takes place in a short period of time. Usually three days or less. If a character uses an unusual weapon, that indicates that they're more Badass than everyone else. If an aquarium is shown at any point, the aquarium will inevitably be destroyed. Where a bomb is attached to a prisoner while they carry out a dangerous mission. A diagram is set up to explain the upcoming plan.
 * Education Through Pyrotechnics
 * Elevator Escape
 * Enemy Rising Behind
 * Ejection Seat
 * Emergency Stash
 * Empty Elevator
 * Empty Quiver
 * Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting
 * Everyone Chasing You
 * Extremely Short Timespan
 * Exotic Weapon Supremacy
 * Exploding Fishtanks
 * Explosive Leash
 * Exposition Diagram

F
He's about to die, but he's got time for one last quip. Where the heroes come onto the scene by rappelling down from above. A very common Death Trap common for both Human Sacrifice and villainous disposal needs alike. When you see a Ferris wheel, it's either going to start collapsing, or break free and start rolling away. Wherever the hero goes, someone always wants a piece of him. The big, lavish fight scene and climax to the story. The classic swordplay of swashbuckling movies. Where a character barrels toward a target and tosses away anyone who gets in the way without a glance. The hero runs though a kitchen to escape the bad guys. Combatants are forced by the "powers that be" to brawl, box or otherwise fight. Sometimes to the death. A scene dedicated to forging a kickass weapon or something. A gentle character is fond of children. When something bad happens to a character, the protagonist will reach out towards the the character in question.
 * Facing the Bullets One-Liner
 * Fast Roping
 * Fed to the Beast
 * Ferris Wheel of Doom
 * Fight Magnet
 * Final Battle
 * Flynning
 * Foe-Tossing Charge
 * Foot Chase with a Side Order of Chef
 * Forced Prize Fight
 * Forging Scene
 * Friend to All Children
 * Futile Hand Reach

G
The hero is enslaved and forced to work as a galley rower. Badges and car decals in many cop shows are generic, with just the word "Police." Where an entire planet of people is out to destroy Earth - do we get them first? A big foot comes out of nowhere and stomps someone to death. A moron is trusted with a vital weapon or device, and tries to use it instead of giving it to the right person. Where people have to fight each other, or monsters, to the death while lots of people look on and cheer. Where the hero, captured as a gladiator, starts a rebellion with the gladiators breaking out of the slave pits. Eyewear that does something other than what their mundane design purpose is. When a character is dragooned into a dangerous job against their will. Either a fictional government agency, or a real one described in a fictional way. Because dead bodies are always useful For Science!! Breaking out of prison. "Stop falling in the death water!"
 * Galley Slave
 * Generic Cop Badges
 * Genocide Dilemma
 * Giant Foot of Stomping
 * Giving the Sword to A Noob
 * Gladiator Games
 * Gladiator Revolt
 * Goggles Do Something Unusual
 * Got Volunteered
 * Government Agency of Fiction
 * Grave Robbing
 * Great Escape
 * Grimy Water

- Proton Jon, Let's Play Mario's Wacky World - World 2 Part 1

When two characters have their guns aimed at one another, ready to shoot, but decide to have a conversation instead.
 * Gunpoint Banter

H
Where the heroes attack a monster who looks like it's accosting a girl, when it turns out the monster is the girl's pet. A character is frozen solid, and then unfreezes with no adverse effects. Anybody can hotwire a car: just open a random cover, grab two wires and stick them together! A hero in a hurry grabs somebody else's car or bike to aid in his chase scene. A large philanthropic organization whose "job" is, as close as anyone can tell, to fund heroes. A Story Arc or season which features an expansion of the general cast. An earth-shattering revelation or horrible event affects the hero, leaving him either mentally shut down out of shock, or subject to a violent outburst. An earth-shattering revelation or horrible event affects the hero, causing him to flea or fight as an automatic response. A character who throws something to another character to make him catch it, often to distract him. In the heart of enemy territory, the hero narrowly escapes detection when they're told something like "your shoe is untied". Tap your opponent on the back, and when he turns around, punch him in the face. A band of warriors or (more commonly) would-be warriors who join up with The Hero over the course of his journey. Acid in Hollywood movies does not act exactly like real acid would, and is often much more dangerous. The radios always work perfectly, you talk only to the person you're addressing, and you can interrupt people. Especially the bad guys. Fire in Hollywood movies does not act exactly like real fire would, and is not quite as dangerous. No matter how bad he's injured, the hero never ends up with permanent scars. Thieves turn out to be remarkably honorable fellows in fiction, especially amongst other thieves. A glimmer of hope for the hero which is quickly dashed. Where a character has to figure out how to use his newly-obtained superpowers. Chess played where the pieces are actual people... sometimes to the death. The Bad Guys challenge someone (usually the hero pretending to be a Bad Guy) to do something evil to prove his evilness. Where the villains formally hunt the heroes.
 * Hands Off My Fluffy
 * Harmless Freezing
 * Hassle Free Hotwire
 * Hero Stole My Bike
 * Heroes-R-Us
 * Heroes Unlimited
 * Heroic BSOD
 * Heroic Safe Mode
 * Hey, Catch!
 * Hey, Wait!
 * "Hey You!" Haymaker
 * Hitchhiker Heroes
 * Hollywood Acid
 * Hollywood CB
 * Hollywood Fire
 * Hollywood Healing
 * Honor Among Thieves
 * Hope Spot
 * How Do I Shot Web?
 * Human Chess
 * If You're So Evil Eat This Kitten
 * Hunting the Most Dangerous Game

I
A character acquires a needed skill, not by ever actually learning that skill, but by playing a video game which simulated that skill. A seemingly mundane detail of the setting indicates that a character has just walked into a trap; the danger will come into play shortly after the character realizes it exists. Where a character decides to screw taking the stairs, because everything's better with epic jumps. The Big Bad lets the heroes continue on their quest, despite being more than capable of wiping them out, because they're not strong enough to suit his purposes yet. A seemingly weak episode early in a Story Arc that subtly sets events in motion that lead to a big payoff later on. Where swordsmen can do insane things with their swords, like deflecting bullets or cutting clothes to pieces without touching skin. An elaborate, high-risk plan is concocted by the good guys, we hear all the planning, and then it never gets past step one. Explosions always look the same, even when the materials combusting shouldn't explode that way. When a character leaps behind something to escape an explosion, ducks to avoid a rolling wall of flame, or closes a door on an avalanche. What a character uses to slow a great fall when a real parachute is not available. When a character really needs to rappel down a building but doesn't have a rope, he'll improvise one. The character is chased down a tunnel by something very large, clich?y a boulder or a giant monster. A character makes his way under a vertically closing door Just in Time by rolling under it. There is no plan. The hero is just plain winging it. Characters make death threats that they never seem to carry out. If a character is drifting on a raft or log along a river, they will fall down a waterfall. No exceptions. Even the worst villains are not allowed to kill children or infants. Where heroes can make a rope, whip, chain or Grappling Hook Pistol wrap itself around a distant object securely. A character who has a musical instrument that doubles as a deadly weapon. The destruction of a structure separates the characters from each other.
 * I Know Mortal Kombat
 * Imminent Danger Clue
 * I Need No Ladders
 * I Need You Stronger
 * Innocuously Important Episode
 * Implausible Fencing Powers
 * Impossible Mission Collapse
 * Impressive Pyrotechnics
 * Improbable Cover
 * Improvised Parachute
 * Improvised Zipline
 * Indy Escape
 * Indy Hat Roll
 * Indy Ploy
 * Ineffectual Death Threats
 * Inevitable Waterfall
 * Infant Immortality
 * Instant Knots
 * Instrument of Murder
 * Involuntary Group Split

J
Someone can throw an object in the air, perform some action sequence while it is airborne, then catch it on its way down. The young hero meets a series of dismissive characters who assume ineptness because (wait for it) ? "You're just a kid." Villains will pause to give a monologue to the heroes detailing their entire plot.
 * Juggle Fu
 * Just a Kid
 * Just Between You and Me

K
I slice you! Hiii-yaa! The game of tossing an object around in a group to keep it away from someone else. Taking a kill someone else was about to make. When a cell phone rings at an inconvenient time, like when you're in a gunfight.
 * Katanas Are Just Better
 * Keep-Away
 * Kill Steal
 * Kinda Busy Here

L
The bad guys have been defeated, but one of them pulls off a shot with their last breath, often killing one of the heroes before dying. The main bad guy decides to take a one man stand against the heroes when he's got no one left to fight for him. A latex mask so perfect that it is impossible to tell the wearer from the person he is impersonating until the moment he pulls off his face. A self-funded, self-supporting private agency which can act as a legal authority and law enforcement power, or as an official military outfit. A common Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner. No matter how much they hate each other, the two opponents will stick by the rules in their fight. A moment in the story when the quirky, eccentric supporting cast stop being quirky and eccentric and start demonstrating why you should respect your elders. Time to bid a hasty retreat! Where two heroes fight each other under mistaken pretenses. When a person is forced to make a terrible choice ? they need to remove one of their appendages in order to escape with their life. Two heroes have fought each other for real stakes. When the story's over, they smile and have a rematch for fun's sake. Where a military leader offers his recruits a choice to stay and fight or flee (they usually stay). The Big Bad turns out be surprisingly easy to vanquish, not due to their actual power, but simply because his beliefs are wrong. Where the fantasy hero is off having adventures while a war is going on in the background. Children secretly following the more serious heroes on their adventure. Where the heroes have to get someone (often a spoiled kid) from one place to another, and have to deal with his/her antics along the way. When good guys get locked in a cell, all of the equipment that they need to escape is in the cell with them. In an action scene, the last person alive other than the hero is the last person you'd expect.
 * Last Breath Bullet
 * Last Villain Stand
 * Latex Perfection
 * Law Enforcement, Inc.
 * Let's Dance
 * Let's Fight Like Gentlemen
 * Let's Get Dangerous
 * Let's Get Out of Here
 * Let's You and Him Fight
 * Life or Limb Decision
 * Lighthearted Rematch
 * Line in the Sand
 * Literal Strawman
 * Little Hero Big War
 * Little Stowaway
 * Live Action Escort Mission
 * Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard
 * Loser Has Your Back

M
A hero with such personal magnetism that he is capable of persuading others to join him in his quest. When one important plot element is abruptly resolved so that the characters can combat a more immediate, dangerous conflict instead. Quiet, internal angsting done by real men and bad-asses. The heroes have almost won, but end up failing due to factors outside their control, often societal in nature. '''Aaaaahhhhh! I'm on fire!''' A bullet with special markings or words on it. Often the name of someone a character wants dead. Two animated characters are in pitch-black darkness; one strikes a match, revealing they are in an incredibly dangerous place or situation. An unspecified threat so awful that mere mention of it makes the strong go pale and the weak-hearted clutch their chest. The heroes get into a lot of danger and excitement, but in the end they don't actually stop the villain or accomplish anything directly. The lithe, athletic walk of the perennial Badass. A stalemate where everyone has a weapon pointed at them. Where a malfunctioning, falling aircraft can be fixed by the mechanic in midair, before it hits the ground. When somebody who would not otherwise be expected to raise somebody else off the ground, does so under the influence of a strong emotion, and shakes them in mid-air to mark their point. When a dysfunctional group of losers transforms into a well-oiled machine. The briefing before a mission, of whatever form. A bumbling, perfectly normal Nice Guy who gets mixed up in something dangerous, and by sheer luck does the sort of things that convinces everyone he must be insanely Badass. When the heroes arrive in a town just as something nasty happens, they will inevitably be accused of it and thrown in jail. Somehow, a disproportionate number of fictional fights break out at easily-recognized national monuments and landmarks around the world. Where villains or aliens attack major landmarks. Where the villains or aliens attacking the major landmarks leave some landmarks standing. You know that when you see a mudpit or a mud bog, you can go through it. Just be aware that there are only a few safe spots, and there are some swamps in which you can go too deep... A specific musical cue — not in the BGM, but in actual music being played by someone or something In-Universe — serves as the trigger for some event. A person who may not like the policies of their country but will fight for it regardless. The character announces who they are, unprompted. The way past the door is easier than it looks.
 * Magnetic Hero
 * Make Room for the New Plot
 * Mangst
 * The Man Is Keeping Us Down
 * Man On Fire
 * Marked Bullet
 * Matchlight Danger Revelation
 * Maximum Fun Chamber
 * The Meddling Kids Are Useless
 * Menacing Stroll
 * Mexican Standoff
 * Midair Repair
 * Minion Maracas
 * Misfit Mobilization Moment
 * Mission Briefing
 * Mistaken for Badass
 * Mistaken for Spies
 * Monumental Battle
 * Monumental Damage
 * Monumental Damage Resistance
 * Mucking in the Mud
 * Musical Trigger
 * My Country, Right or Wrong
 * My Name Is Inigo Montoya
 * Myopic Architecture

N
A vast, deep-pocketed machine with one apparent goal: The proliferation of evil across the globe, maybe with some personal profit on the side. Any logically less-than-lethal weapon which ends up being otherwise just as effective as its "real" equivalent. When the hero and villain are fighting, the Distressed Damsel will just sit there and watch, or be ineffectual in what she tries to do. Where a hero's actions unwittingly make the situation worse rather than better. Where a villain's actions unwittingly make the situation better rather than worse. What would you use them to look at? Hauling unstable explosives over dangerous terrain. What could possibly go wrong? When you blow up the giant monster/enemy base/teacup, it should cause untold damage to the places around it, but we never see such damage. When faced with the choice of getting captured by pursuers or jumping from a great height, chose the latter. When the hero is captured and, instead of throwing him in the dungeon, the villain treats him as a guest. A disaster has struck, but don't expect any incoming aid. Explosions don't cause concussion damage from the shockwave or rip you up with shrapnel... they just give you a little push. When a character survives a situation that should by all accounts have been lethal, often through sheer luck or coincidence. The hero refuses to leave a wounded or captured comrade behind. Bases and complexes have all kinds of insanely dangerous walkways and areas, because they're cool and make for nail-biting suspense sequences. Any dangerous device or technology owned by a villain is one-of-a-kind; there are no design notes, no prototypes, and no backup copies. Where somebody survives a blow or wound that, even by Hollywood standards, should have killed them, and keeps fighting. A character is on a quest that could save the world, but he doesn't care about that; he's only in it for personal reasons. The averagely-skilled friends of the highly-skilled hero survive their encounter with the Big Bad or Dragon because the bad guy couldn't be bothered to finish them off. Where one character survives what has been built up as a nasty attack, grins, and unleashes a counterattack. Where a work Did Not Do the Research about nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons policy.
 * Nebulous Evil Organisation
 * Nerf Arm
 * Neutral Female
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain
 * Night Vision Goggles
 * Nitro Express
 * No Endor Holocaust
 * No Escape but Down
 * No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine
 * No FEMA Response
 * Non-Fatal Explosions
 * No One Should Survive That
 * No One Gets Left Behind
 * No OSHA Compliance
 * No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup
 * Normally I Would Be Dead Now
 * Not in This For Your Revolution
 * Not Worth Killing
 * Now It's My Turn
 * A Nuclear Error

O
After having outlined the goal for the episode, Mr. Exposition will describe a list of all the insurmountable obstacles that stand in the way of that goal. Where the bad guy forces the good guy into doing something via threats, kidnapping or blackmail. A villain, or Anti-Hero, will have an enemy at their mercy and instead of immediately shooting them, they'll slowly walk towards them. Contriving to make it all about these two guys, the good guy and the bad guy. TV characters, when being chased by anything that is limited to one direction (e.g. a boulder) never just step out of its path. They always run straight ahead and try to outrun it. Where the government sends in only one man to do a job that rightfully a whole squad or army should do. Where there is a set of objects or objectives to obtain, the good and bad guys will always end up fighting over the same one at the same time. Rule of Drama: Only the main character can kill the Big Bad. Anyone else who tries will be curb stomped. When met with an unyielding door lock, one of the heroes will just blast it off or break down the door. Where a character decides not to take part in the climactic final battle and leaves. Where something is "destroyed" by just throwing it off-screen. Warning: Not recommended for those of us actually occupying real life. Where somebody hops on the top or side of a car as it's moving.
 * Obstacle Exposition
 * An Offer You Can't Refuse
 * Ominous Walk
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You
 * One-Dimensional Thinking
 * One Riot, One Ranger
 * One True Sequence
 * Only I Can Kill Him
 * Open Says Me
 * Opt Out
 * Out of Sight, Out of Mind
 * Outrun the Fireball
 * Warning: Real life may not be as real as assumed.
 * Outside Ride

P
A Conveyor Belt O' Doom run results in the hero passing out the other end as a package. An extremely transparent disguise that anybody in their right mind could see through, yet the on-screen characters can't. A discipline which emphasizes getting from point A to point B in a straight line, even if that line goes around, under, or over obstacles. It's also really cool. The Hero formally hands over his heroing business to a new guy. Stopping someone from doing something stupid by knocking them out and then doing it yourself. When something explodes, the violence remains but all the blood and gore is removed. Few things are more badass than using your teeth to yank the pin from a grenade before tossing. A protagonist in a story set aboard a sailing ship who's a young, brave teenager sailing into adventure. A hole in the ground that's somehow covered up so as to blend in with the surrounding terrain. It's a long way down if the hero falls. A trail of gunpowder left on the ground as a makeshift fuse to blow up stuff. Villain got you by the throat? Just try to say something, they'll ease up so you can clarify and kick their ass! A jerk has a car which he loves and absolutely refuses to let anyone touch. It will either be stolen, destroyed, or both. The villain, about to be defeated, salutes the hero, says "You win this round, but We Will Meet Again," and then leaps out of a window into a convenient lake or moat and swims away. The hero's home comes under attack. Where the hero can't get to the villain to administer smackdown because a child is in the way, protecting him. A specific person, place, or thing, or set thereof, which our hero is responsible for defending. In movies and videogames, punches and kicks send you flying, usually in the direction of something breakable. In a fistfight, one character delivers a set of rapid-fire punches into the other one's gut, only to have him smile and start delivering serious violence. When a villain takes over a big company or government, the first thing he does is start ordering the deaths of quite a lot of people.
 * Packed Hero
 * Paper-Thin Disguise
 * Le Parkour
 * Passing the Torch
 * Percussive Prevention
 * PG Explosives
 * Pin Pulling Teeth
 * Plucky Middie
 * Pit Trap
 * Plummet Perspective
 * Powder Trail
 * Pre-Asskicking Mutter
 * The Precious Precious Car
 * Prisoner of Zenda Exit
 * Protect This House
 * Protected by a Child
 * Protectorate
 * Punched Across the Room
 * Punch-Punch-Punch Uh-Oh
 * Punctuated Pounding
 * The Purge

Q
Dip a toe into quicksand, and suddenly you get sucked down to the bowels of the earth![[
 * Quicksand Sucks

R
A two-way radio is put out of commission to allow the plot to proceed. Any time you see railroad tracks, a train will appear, usually giving a character a near-death, suspenseful miss. You can tell it's been ransacked because the underwear is strewn over the chair instead of strewn over the floor. A group of bandits, pirates, or even mooks working for a Big Bad sack a town - looting, damaging property, and sometimes even murdering and kidnapping innocent townsfolk. Then they burn it down. Something soaked to the brim with testosterone and badassery. Made by men for men. When a bad guy becomes a good guy, his power potential goes down significantly. When a bad guy becomes a good guy, his power potential goes up significantly. Where a character is "saved" when, as it turns out, he didn't really need to be. Plucking a hollow reed and using it to breathe while underwater. When an agent or operative removes their communication earpiece, they're going to disobey an order, go rogue, or say something "off the record." The only way to leave an evil organization is death. When the heroic team is split up by the sudden arrival of a series of villains. They're just COOL, dammit! The safest way to avoid detection in stories is always right under the enemy's nose. It's the last place they'll think to look. Any river voyage or wilderness journey is a doomed expedition in which the characters alternately die, go mad, get lost, go native, or otherwise barely live to tell the tale. A villain or prankster mucks things up by flipping road signs so they point in the wrong direction. Exactly What It Says on the Tin. A fight on a rooftop. It will often end with someone falling off. If you see one, you know one side is going to have the ropes cut, or the planks are going to fall down.
 * The Radio Dies First
 * Railroad Tracks of Doom
 * Ransacked Room
 * Rape, Pillage and Burn
 * Rated "M" for Manly
 * Redemption Demotion
 * Redemption Promotion
 * Redundant Rescue
 * Reed Snorkel
 * Removing the Earpiece
 * Resignations Not Accepted
 * The Rest Shall Pass
 * Revolvers Are Just Better
 * Right Under Their Noses
 * River of Insanity
 * Road Sign Reversal
 * Rooftop Confrontation
 * Rope Bridge

S
The heroes are rescued! Okay, not really; they're pirates who only want to loot their stuff. You're gonna regret it... Where a character pulls off something crazy and unexpected, and says he saw it in a movie once. Something nasty happens to a character (kidnapped, in danger) but it turns out to be a surprise party. Where a member of either the good guys or bad guys gets sick of it, throws his hands in the air and walks away. The guy The Captain turns to when he needs supplies. When characters use a secret route to get somewhere, often to get around obstacles or avoid being seen. You never saw them, they didn't arrest you, and that isn't your tongue they just cut off. A hidden path often located under old houses, or in bad guy lairs. In fiction, if you can't see them, you can't target them. A sentient Background Magic Field of universal scale. An easy, convenient way to let a Kid Hero go on an adventure while still being fairly believable. The only way to find the secret passage is by sheer luck; leaning against that candle amazingly opens the door! A body of water filled with any variety of unpleasant creatures, such as alligators, killer jellyfish, piranha, or sharks. Someone who's part-way transforming into a monster/zombie/robot/whatever will resist being on their side, and will help their human friends. No matter how ancient the shipwreck, it'll be mostly intact on the ocean floor. You have to shoot the dummies. But if you shoot the civilians, you lose 100 points. In fiction, shooting a fuel tank makes it explode. When a character is about to be hanged, the cavalry will come to the rescue and shoot the rope. The hero is pretending to be on the bad guys' side, and his love interest or friend is held captive. The bad guy hands him a gun and tells him to shoot her. With the heroine in danger, the hero stops for a moment to start giving a speech or haranguing her. After a minor victory, we are treated to a scene of the Big Bad sending more minions after the hero. The crew of a ship have to be as quiet as possible so enemy radar won't pick them up. If you have been drinking and your foe seems to have undergone some sort of cloning effect, so that it seems there are now many of him, shoot the one in the middle. A key that will open any door or lock; often shaped like a skeleton. You can open any locked door by taking out a credit card and jiggling it in the lock. The hero is on a mission to rescue slaves. The hero, stuck in captivity, is kissed by a sympathetic woman, who passes some item to him in his mouth. A tied up character reveals that he or she slipped their bonds ages ago. Drop a smoke bomb and slip away while everybody's coughing. You can tell when video cameras or visual feeds are destroyed because they get replaced with static. When you throw yourself through a pane of glass, shattering it, you can get right up and keep going. The only person who survived a terrible tragedy or massacre. The villain has captured someone and sends a message in their name to their family or friends. However, something in the message is obviously something that the capturee would never have written. Standard FPS hero: A military man (often in bulky armour), who wields lots of big guns and kills lots of aliens. The omnipresent "eye in the sky". Two opposing spy organizations with James Bond-like agents. A lethal attack that we think is meant for the hero is instead meant for something that was trying to kill him instead. A sprawling government agent complete with Secret Police, a paramilitary wing, a propaganda division, and more! When a character either suddenly appears or disappears close to someone when they weren't looking. It's time to gear up and assault the bad guy's home base! If you want someone or something to join your side, you have to best it in physical combat first. A character suddenly has a skill they need with little or no explanation. When the situation is that desperate... A mundane living room, bedroom, or small apartment that can be instantly transformed into a fully-functional Super Hero lair. If you train hard enough, you can channel mystic energies and blow up airplanes. To get to or from the scene in a hurry, just jump through a window. The bad guys have cameras everywhere, even though nobody ever sees them. About the horrors of certain swamplands... Characters can enter the premises whenever the plot necessitates it, despite presumably locked doors or obvious obstacles. A character simultaneously wielding a gun in one hand and a sword in another, or another combination of projectile and melee weapon. The good guy has the bad guy where he wants him, raises his sword over his head... and can't go through with it.
 * Salvage Pirates
 * Save the Villain
 * Saw It in a Movie Once
 * Scary Surprise Party
 * Screw This, I'm Outta Here
 * The Scrounger
 * Secret Path
 * Secret Police
 * Secret Underground Passage
 * See the Whites of Their Eyes
 * Sentient Cosmic Force
 * Separated From the Adults
 * Shaggy Search Technique
 * Shark Pool
 * Sheep in Wolf's Clothing
 * Ship Shape Shipwreck
 * Shooting Gallery
 * Shoot the Fuel Tank
 * Shoot the Rope
 * Shoot Your Mate
 * Shut Up and Save Me
 * Sic Em
 * Silent Running Mode
 * Single-Malt Vision
 * Skeleton Key
 * Skeleton Key Card
 * Slave Liberation
 * Sleight of Tongue
 * Slipped the Ropes
 * Smoke Out
 * Snowy Screen of Death
 * Soft Glass
 * Sole Survivor
 * Something They Would Never Say
 * Something We Forgot
 * Space Marine
 * Spy Satellites
 * Spy-Versus-Spy
 * Stab the Scorpion
 * State Sec
 * Stealth Hi Bye
 * Storming the Castle
 * Strength Equals Worthiness
 * Suddenly Always Knew That
 * Suicide Mission
 * Super Multi-Purpose Room
 * Supernatural Martial Arts
 * Super Window Jump
 * Surveillance as the Plot Demands
 * Swamps Are Evil
 * Swiss Cheese Security
 * Sword and Gun
 * Sword Over Head