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For example, if your team plays [[Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors]], they're going to have to face a water trap, a fire trap, an air trap, and an earth trap.
As a plot,
Most often occurs in series with heavy [[Super-Hero Speciation]]. Can be the result of a [[Thematic Rogues Gallery]]. A good hypothetical example is if the Justice League had to destroy a nuclear threat. Superman and other flying members would take out the strategic bombers, the not-launched missiles would go to the grounded members, such as Batman, and the sub-launched missiles would go to Aquaman.
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As a variation, this may apply to [[Someday This Will Come in Handy|multiple abilities]] or [[It May Help You on Your Quest|items]] which a single character has; each item or ability will always find [[It May Help You on Your Quest|some contrived use]].
Compare [[This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman]], which is when the plot improbably makes use of [[Crippling Overspecialization|a ''single''
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
==
* The manga version of the Mew Aqua arc in ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'' had the aliens taking a mew aqua into the realm of each of the girls' influences (For example, Mew Mint, whose power is air, had a chapter with a mew aqua floating above [[Tokyo Tower]].), as they tried to use it to fuel a [[Death Trap]] for both the girls and the rest of the city. It never ended up working. In the anime, though, this was abandoned and Ichigo got every single mew aqua, ignoring the other girls' elemental advantages.
* ''[[Digimon]]'' is often using it in a not too direct example, but still. In the first series (and second, and pretty much any) the Digimon would only evolve when their DigiDestined proved their specific most remarkable trait like love or honesty.
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* Hilariously subverted in the second season of ''[[Black Butler]]''. After giving attention to a number of odd characters early in the episode, once the train they're one is headed towards a broken bridge with a bomb strapped to it set to detonate if they stop and an assasin having kidnapped Ciel, they all get up an anounce the skills they have that can save the day. Everyone rallies together, excited that they can pull it off, only for Sebastian to inform them he doesn't need their help before going and taking care of everything himself.
== [[Comic
* [[Double Subversion|Double-subverted]] in an issue of ''[[Fantastic Four]]'': Cosmic beings conduct an experiment on the team, suppressing their primary characteristics (Reed's intellect, Johnny's temper, Ben's courage and Sue's compassion.) Lo and behold, each one is presented with a challenge that is suited to a ''secondary'' characteristic - a monster protecting her child stirs Ben's compassion, an illusion suppressing Johnny's powers causes him to demonstrate surprising smarts, a battery of laser cannons forces Sue to summon up her courage, and an airtight cell forces Reed to tap his normally sublimated aggression to break free.
* Again with one of Doctor Doom's death traps for Reed, a simple corridor that keeps getting narrower and narrower, doors progressively sealing the way back. Reed is forced to push his stretching abilities to their limits in order to keep going... only to find a dead end.
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** In which case, Green Lantern should have permanently handcuffed himself to Color Kid, making both of them much more useful.
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* ''[[Harry Potter]]'' fics featuring a [[The Chessmaster|Manipulative!Dumbledore]] often postulate that the gauntlet of defenses guarding the Philosopher's Stone was ''deliberately'' made into this as the first step in grooming Harry for whatever purpose the particular story's Dumbledore has for him.
==
* Every ''[[X-Men (film)|X-Men]]'' movie.
* Parodied and justified in ''[[Mystery Men]]''. Invisible Boy has the power to become invisible, but only ''when no one is looking'', and only ''when he's not wearing clothes''. But what modern evil genius ''doesn't'' use security cameras?
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** Parodied by [[Eddie Izzard]]: "Bond never gets back and goes 'Q, I had a lot of shit I didn't fucking use! The watch that turns into a hamster, what was the point of that?' "
*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwZbuF40T1M "These trousers, press a button and they turn into jam. Why?"]
** Perhaps unintentionally (and definitely ''annoyingly'') subverted in ''[[
** The animated series, ''[[James Bond Jr.|James Bond Jr]]'', did the above in practically every episode. Though the gadgets were received from IQ, not Q.
* Terry Gilliam's film ''[[The Adventures of Baron Munchausen]]''.
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* Subverted in an Ethiopian folk tale: three suitors of a princess were sent afar to study some special abilities: the first one learned how to tell what was going on far away, the second one learned how to travel really fast, and the third one learned how to resurrect people from the dead. After they finished their studies, the first found out the princess had just died, the second took them all quickly to the princess, and the third one brought her back to life. This lead to a heated argument between the three men regarding which one of them deserves her for having saved her life, and so she is still a virgin to this very day.
▲== Literature ==
* Frequently arises in ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'', most obviously in ''The Vile Village''. Reversed in ''The Miserable Mill'', where the protagonists are each forced into situations best-suited to their siblings' specialties.
* Played with in [[China Mieville]]'s ''[[Un Lun Dun]]'': when the heroine learns that the apparently random and pointless series of quests she was supposed to follow were actually carefully designed so that she would end up {{spoiler|with exactly the right set of items to deal with}} the final challenge. It occurs to her, a little too late, that {{spoiler|skipping most of the quests to save time}} might not have been such a bright idea after all.
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* Used in every ''[[Xanth]]'' novel where a character wishes to ask the Good Magician Humfrey a Question. Entrance to Humfrey's castle is guarded by three specific Challenges suited to the Asker's abilities, designed to test the Asker and ensure the Question is not asked trivially.
* ''[[The Laundry Series|The Jennifer Morgue]]'' openly invokes it, [[Lampshade Hanging|hanging lampshades all the while]]. Ramona says that Bob is caught up in an "eigenplot," and she can't reveal any details lest he become contaminated—he needs to be clean of any knowledge of what's going on so he can make it past the "semiotic firewall." She does, however, discuss concepts such as "danger in a foreign land," "encountering the enemy agent" and "joining with the Dark Anima." The "eigenplot" in question? {{spoiler|Bob's been geased by the villain to enact the tropes of a James Bond movie, so that only one British agent tries to stop the plot for world domination -- and, since the villain controls the geas, he can stop it when the only thing that ''could'' stop him becomes just another boffin.}}
* In ''[[Harry Potter and
** It could be seen that the first-years' success lay in their vastly different strengths and teamwork, whereas a lone person would be less likely to have all of the skills required to get past all of the obstacles. {{spoiler|"Quirrelmort" made it to the final room, but since the Mirror of Erised only gave the stone to someone who wanted the stone but not want to use it, he ''never'' would've been able to get it by himself.}}
** It's also due to the tasks being created with adult wizards in mind. Most of them aren't good enough athletes for the broomstick ride or well enough acquainted with logic to solve the chessboard or potion riddle. Most adult wizards have little use for the kind of lateral thinking a science or maths major (or Hermione) would, as she points out.
* This is a key plot point of ''[[The Belgariad]]''. The Purposes of the Universe, at war, set events in motion that are calculated to require very specific people to perform very specific tasks. It is openly explained and discussed among the characters. It also crosses heavily over into [[Xanatos Speed Chess]].
▲== Live Action TV ==
* Subverted and played straight in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''. Sometimes all the scoobies do is get in each other's way, and often their powers or special skills only mess things up more. But in the climatic battle of season four, Xander, Willow and Giles used their specific personalities to help Buffy.
** And in the climactic battle of season five, they each used their skills to fight Glory and her minions.
{{quote|'''Xander:''' And the glorified bricklayer picks up the spare!}}
* Done in the 16th and 17th episodes of the Greek detective sitcom ''In the Nick of Time'' [[wikipedia:Sto Para Pente|(Sto Para Pente)]] sporting 12 people brought together in an effort to save one of the main characters under the bad guys' noses. [[Hilarity Ensues]]. It is explicitly stated, by the protagonists, that their plot is structured to match every character's defining attribute of personality; only most of these characteristics are not talents but annoying habits. This is so because all these characters were initially introduced as secondary gag characters but are later proven to all be [[Chekhov's Gunman|important in the plot]].
* ''[[Mission: Impossible (TV series)||Mission Impossible]]'', in which the characters tailored their abilities to [[The Caper]] at hand.
* ''[[The A-Team]]'' was intended to be one giant Plot Tailored to the Party-slash-spoof.
* ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' inverts the trope in the episode "Quarantine" when everyone is locked in various rooms and each person has a part of the skills that they need to get out of the situation, except no one is in a situation where they can use those skills: McKay ([[The Smart Guy]]) does not have a computer, so Sheppard ([[The Hero]]) has to do all the technical stuff; Ronon ([[The Big Guy]]) is locked in a room and is thus forced to do nothing; and Zelenka (another [[Smart Guy]]) has to do the dangerous air vent crawl that is pretty much Sheppard's trademark.
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{{quote|'''Will''': And what's your power? Just showing up for the meeting after 135 years?
'''Magnus''': I'd like to see you do it. }}
* Parodied on ''[[
{{quote|'''Chief:''' Okay you guys, listen up. The president's in town next week. Thunder Girl, I'm gonna need your super flying power, Flesh your super strength, Stinky your super sharp shooting, as for Meltman...um...um...well...um...
'''Stinky Diver:''' [[You! Get Me Coffee!|He can get the donuts!]]
'''Stinky, Flesh, Thunder Girl:''' Donuts, donuts, donuts! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! }}
* ''[[Smallville]]'', in the episode "Justice": Arthur Curry, the future Aquaman, would have been entirely useless if it weren't for the location of the enemy base; next to water and with an aquatic entrance.
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* The ''[[Warehouse 13]]'' [[It's a Wonderful Plot]] [[Christmas Episode]] has Pete assemble the regular team, even though in this universe they don't know him or trust each other, in order to break into the Warehouse. This requires Artie's knowledge of the Warehouse (to get to the back door), Myka's knowledge of literature and language (to access the door), Claudia's mad tech skillz (to hack the security system), and Pete's vibes (to tell which of the identical doors in the next coridor is a bad door to go through).
* Considered something of the "ideal" adventure plot in a tabletop roleplaying game like ''[[Dungeons
▲== Tabletop Games ==
▲* Considered something of the "ideal" adventure plot in a tabletop roleplaying game like ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'', where each character advances in a [[Class and Level System|class]] that [[An Adventurer Is You|defines his or her talents]]. A smart [[Game Master]] keeps in mind the characters' capabilities and tries to include something for everyone. Published adventures try for this as well, but not every player group has the standard [[Fighter, Mage, Thief|fighter/rogue/wizard/cleric]] dynamic these adventures are written for, and so multiple solutions for critical moments are necessary, making it possible for one character to steal the spotlight from the others by solving nearly everything through the solutions meant for his character type (the answer that works no matter what is usually "bash it apart"). That, or every important plot point is decided by either a fight (which all classes are designed to be able to take part in), or a simplistic puzzle (which doesn't rely on class abilities at all, but the players' ability to figure the puzzle out). Classic tournament adventure C1 has a puzzle specifically designed for the 3-man (Fighter, Wizard, Thief) party (what it's doing in a bunch of ancient [[Mayincatec|Maya/Aztec-type]] ruins is best left unasked).
** And then there's the [[Killer Game Master]] who specifically creates challenges that the party is ''not'' capable of facing.
* The Plot Tailored to the Party nature of many [[Dungeons
** One thief-less party infamously filled the role with a log they rolled down corridors. It proved surprisingly effective.
==
* Happened almost on a constant basis in ''[[Bionicle]]'', so that every character could show off his or her mask or elemental power, because hey, when toy advertising and plot advancement go hand in hand, why not? Though subversions were nearly as common as straight examples. Video and web games abused this to no end, however they often resorted to completely changing the characters' special powers.
▲== Video Games ==
* Subtly used in ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''. Each thief, courtesan, and mercenary guild in Florence and Venice will help Ezio with at least one assassination target.
** Less subtly used in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood|Assassin's Creed Brotherhood]]'', where each guild helps Ezio with exactly one target. However, when {{spoiler|preparing to assassinate Micheletto, the thieves pull out last-second, "forcing" Ezio to use his own Assassin guild instead.}}
* In the game ''[[Zork: Grand Inquisitor]]'', you find three totems: a griff (small, less powerful dragon), a brogmoid (a small, strong creature), and Lucy Flathead (a human woman with telepathy). And where are the [[Cosmic Keystone]]s located? A sleeping dragon archipelago, a cave behind a strongly boarded door, and a casino. Any of the three creatures can visit any of the locations, but if they're not the right ones, they're next to useless (though Brog can't reach a mailbox before the White House, and Lucy or Griff will have to go there to send mail).
* Common in videogames, for example, in the ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' games, each dungeon in sequential order is tailor-made with obstacles that require the treasures from the previous ones that the hero had access to. Apparently one can only get around dungeon D with a hookshot (or grappling hook, or magnet gloves) that is ''only'' found in one chest in dungeon C. You typically also need dungeon D's item to beat dungeon D's boss.
** Another method of dungeon design in the Zelda series is to make half of the dungeon inaccessible until you find the right tool ''in the same dungeon''. For example a dungeon in ''Majora's Mask
** Also, the final boss battle in Twilight Princess is an example. Each part of the match forces you to make use of different fighting techniques. Possessed Zelda forces you to fighting defensively, spending the entire battle using your shield, dodging techniques, and deflection of her attacks. Pig Ganon forces you to fight as Wolf Link and make use of techniques like the grab and bite and the pushing technique used earlier against Gorons and goats.. Horseback Ganondorf requires you to fight on Epona, with horseback sword fighting and arrow shooting. And finally, the last portion of the fight requires you to engage Ganondorf in a straight-up sword fight that mostly takes away the techniques that the Hero's Shade taught you, forcing you to stick with the techniques you learned when you first got the sword.
* In the ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]'' series, and the following ''[[Mega Man X]]'' games, all of the end level bosses have specific weakness to weapons that you get from other bosses. This ensures that even the most useless weapons for fighting through the stages have a specific use. However, since bosses in some games are selectable in any order, they CAN be beaten without the specials. It's just a lot tougher. Playing ''2'' for the first time and thinking "I'll try going against ''Quickman'' first." is a sobering lesson in ''[[Nintendo Hard]]'' level design. Messed with in ''X'', wherein the bosses had a particular order of weaknesses, but the special items (boots, armor, etc.) had a ''different'' optimal order. To get all the armor pieces without backtracking, you had to completely disregard the boss' vulnerabilities.
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* ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' masterfully uses this for the battle system, with each character being especially effective against one enemy type: Tidus can hit nimble/evasive enemies, Wakka takes down flying targets, Auron can pierce the defences of armoured enemies, Rikku can dismantle mechanical enemies, Lulu deals with enemies that are weak against magic, Yuna is your primary healer (and her summons are ideal for facing or finishing off bosses), and Kimahri [[Jack of All Trades|does a little of everything]]
* The ''[[Airforce Delta]] Series'' plays this straight with multiple specialized pilots. Some missions require slow prop or VTOL fighters, some are for air superiority fighters, some for ground attack, [[This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman|one for Mach-3 recon aircraft]].
* [[Wild
* ''[[
* ''[[Legacy of the Wizard]]'' has five playable characters. Four of them have areas requiring their special abilities (at least in concept), and at the end of each is a crown. Once all four crowns have been collected, the fifth character is needed to obtain the [[Sword of Plot Advancement]] and fight the [[Final Boss]].
* Everyone's skills are needed at some point or another in ''[[Magical Starsign]]'', but the funniest example has to be during a massive forest fire. The water mage locates an underground aquifer. The earth mage cracks open the ground so that the water can reach the surface. The air mage uses the spring the previous two mages created to start a massive rainstorm that douses the fire. The nature mage regrows the forest. And then the fire mage decides it's his turn to contribute, and is promptly stopped by the rest of the party because all that work to stop the fire, they really didn't need another one.
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** Both Dark Cloud games also include levels with seals on them that only one character can be used on. Usually there is a level like this right after you get each new character to make you try them out.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* The "Demon Seed" arc of ''[[The Dragon Doctors]]'' is the first one that makes full use of the abilities of all [[Dream Team|four magical doctors]] at once. The patient is a man with a sentient parasite slowly devouring him from within, can see everything he sees, and will take over his body and attack if they alarm him. First Kili the shaman/therapist puts the patient into a hypnotic mind-meld trance, then his body is [[Taken for Granite|magically petrified]] by the wizard to trap the parasite and keep him stable, then the [[Magitek]] diagnostician and surgeon drill it out of his body one piece at a time.
* [[Lampshaded]] in ''[[General Protection Fault]]'''s ''[[Harry Potter]]'' parody
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'''Refractive Man''': So the dinosaur DNA filtered by a laser fired through my torso and fed to it on a spatula worked? }}
▲== Western Animation ==
* The ''[[Winx Club]]'' ep "Truth or Dare" had the Winx Eigen-ing up a simulacrum out of their fundamental powers.
* [[Aquaman]] of the ''[[Superfriends]]'' gave rise to [[This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman|an infinite number of such plots]]. [[Superman]] is a member of the ''[[Superfriends]]'', and arguably pretty much every plot which involves him is kind of an inverse [[Eigen Plot]], as they have to use Kryptonite or otherwise disable him somehow to give everyone else something to do.
* [[Lampshaded]] in an episode of ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]''. Control Freak, a teenage TV addict super villain comes up with a Plot Tailored to the Party featuring a trial for all of the Teen Titans. He is upset to find that they're out of town and a secondary team is in their place. As the challenges were tailored to the exact limits of the main cast, the secondary team easily manages them. He has a temper tantrum and then returns with specific challenges for the substitutes.
* ''[[Kim Possible]]'' gives Ron's father, an actuary, a chance to demonstrate his heroism by coming up with a math-themed villain specifically for him to have a [[Let's Get Dangerous]] moment against. Being ''Kim Possible'', the implausibility of this is obviously [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded.]]
* Usually justified in the animated series ''[[
* The James Bond variant was spoofed in an episode of ''[[American Dad]]'', where Steve plays the Q character, S, and all his inventions make the boobs of the nearest woman larger. Of course, it comes in handy later on...
* Played straight most of the time on ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers|Galaxy Rangers]]''. There were usually computers to hack, hostile environments, something that could usually be psychically "read," and a need for the captain to coordinate things. However, the show also loved [[Absentee Actor]], so just as often they'd end up short a teammate who would have been really handy at that particular moment.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Script Speak]]
[[Category:Laws and Formulas]]
[[Category:Suspiciously Convenient Index]]
[[Category:Plots]]
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