History AwesomeButImpractical / FanWorks

* ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'': The Lightsaber Spell is implied to be this -- it allows the caster to play TennisBoss with spells and curses, but the drawbacks of it include a very long casting sequence, huge energy consumption and distance closing. {{Justified}}, since it was originally designed for elite one-on-one dueling with the idea of sportsmanship rather than for more life-or-death melee combat.

** The ritual to open a second entrance into a dungeon has to be cast simultaneously on the surface of the planet and inside the dungeon, with no obvious clues on either side as to whether the other side is ready to start. And of course the dungeon is perfectly free to attack the group trying to cast that end of the spell. Not to mention that the surface half of the ritual requires a minion harvested from the dungeon within a few hours of casting the ritual as a focus, which limits how far from the dungeon the secondary entrance can be located. Taylor gets around this by using her pixie contract to let the surface team know when to start casting, and obviously the team inside her don't have to worry about being attacked.

[[AC:''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'']]

* The ''Galaxy Crusher'' in ''FanFic/SonicXDarkChaos'' is a Demon superweapon the size of a ''red giant'' that's capable of erasing an entire ''galaxy'' (and the ones around it) with a single shot. However, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome the sheer collateral damage it causes, mind-boggling logistic requirements, and the threat of it being hijacked]] led Maledict to deactivate it after it was only used once.

* Invoked in ''Fanfic/VoyagesOfTheWildSeaHorse'': When Nabiki Tendo decides that, as an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent in the [[DeathWorld Grand Line]], she needs some kind of boost, she naturally turns to the [[PowerUpFood Devil Fruits]]. Whilst discussing her plans with the rest of her crew, she notes that she ''needs'' a BoringButPractical Devil Fruit; if she doesn't have the time to just master SupernaturalMartialArts from her crewmates, then she certainly doesn't hve the time needed to hone a [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower "esoteric but powerful once you get the hang of it"]] Devil Fruit ability. As such, she sets her sights on either a [[ElementalShapeshifter Logia]] or a [[{{Animorphism}} Zoan]], even knowing the former is NotSoInvincibleAfterAll and the latter is multiplicative in its physical boost.

--> '''Mirabel''': You don't reroute a river[. N]ature is horrible. It does what it wants, whether you change it to be a certain way or not...don't uh, don’t tell Señora Pepa I said that...\\

[[AC:''Literature/{{Worm}}''

* ''Fanfic/OneDayAtATimeFanfic'': Wayne Hall, the Wayne Family's personal party venue. Modeled after the Acropolis of Athens, it's almost the size of a football field, has its own parking lot, supports a massive underground industrial kitchen along with a large storage area and a lounge for employees, has an in-built concert stage, stained glass windows, and a gigantic hanging crystal chandelier that puts even the one in the Manor to shame (for comparison, that chandelier was able to support a sleeping eight year old Dick Grayson without collapsing). It's also [[MoneySink extremely expensive to maintain]] and thus rarely ever ventured in outside of an annual spring cleaning. Prior to Jason's return gala (which also celebrated the adoption of Cass and the arrival of Damian), the last time an event was held there was Bruce Wayne's own return to Gotham after his five-year training trip -- ''thirteen years ago''.

* In the NextGenFic ''Fanfic/{{Paradoxus}}'' (''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' and ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''), unless properly taught, runic magic is way too mana-draining to be consistently useful. Add to it that only people with Asser blood[[note]]Solaria, Whisperia, and Domino's royal families[[/note]] can make use of it. Sucks Trisha and Altalune's mother, aunt, and grandmother are all either dead or missing in action -- because, whenever they try to use runes, they get temporarily paralyzed from mana-depletion. Runic magic can, for all of these shortcomings, be used to predict the future (though vaguely), fuel overpowered elemental attacks, and produce epic weapons when carved into them.

* Invoked in ''Fanfic/VoyagesOfTheWildSeaHorse'': When Nabiki Tendo decides that, as an OrdinaryHighSchoolGirl in the [[DeathWorld Grand Line]], she needs some kind of boost, she naturally turns to the [[PowerUpFood Devil Fruits]]. Whilst discussing her plans with the rest of her crew, she notes that she ''needs'' a BoringButPractical Devil Fruit; if she doesn't have the time to just master SupernaturalMartialArts from her crewmates, then she certainly doesn't hve the time needed to hone a [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower "esoteric but powerful once you get the hang of it"]] Devil Fruit ability. As such, she sets her sights on either a [[ElementalShapeshifter Logia]] or a [[{{Animorphism}} Zoan]], even knowing the former is NotSoInvulnerable and the latter is multiplicative in its physical boost.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Fractured}}'', a Franchise/MassEffect[=/=]Franchise/StarWars crossover, the Trans-Galactic Republic's large Star Dreadnaughts are viewed this way due to using huge amounts of energy to operate, leaving them short-ranged and requiring massive supply lines.

* This happens a couple of times in the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'', and ''VideoGame/DarkParables'' crossover fanfic ''Fanfic/TheDarkNeverConsumesAllForTheLightRemainsWithinItsCore The dark never consumes all for the light remains within its core'':

[[AC:Dormant/Dead/Unsorted]]
* In ''Shadow Snark'', the titular character's wings are made of solid iron, which though badass doesn't give him the ability to fly. A very crippling handicap for a pegasus.
* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''[=/=]''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' crossover ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6701262/1/True-Warriors-Never-Die True Warriors Never Die]]'', Naruto is the jinchuuriki of the [[EldritchAbomination Juubi]] which (in addition to having 2000 years to hone his skills) gives him destructive power comparable to Yamamato. The downside is that he has to fight the Juubi roughly every 1000 years to insure it doesn't try to destroy the world again. As he recently found out, the more he uses its power, the faster the Juubi recovers. [[spoiler:In fact, despite using his jinchuuriki mode only a few times, the Juubi is already stirring, 900 years early.]]
* In ''Fanfic/ImaginarySeas'', it's noted that while Percy is a ludicrously strong Servant, his strength and arsenal of skills and Noble Phantasms make his upkeep absolutely ruinous. Because of this, he'd be virtually impossible to utilize in a Holy Grail War without the aid of an external power source. The only reason he's able to operate at all is the fact that the Lostbelt is rich with mana due to the Age of Gods never ending on top of being supercharged with the Klironomia of several Greek gods to compensate for his energy costs. If he hadn't gotten those nanomachines, he would have faded away before he even finished his first fight.
* The killing curse and other magical means of murder are this in ''Fanfic/BrokenSouls''. They're guaranteed to get the job done, but are often seen by others in the area because they're so flashy. This is why a group of Soviet assassins were able to get away with so many hits; they would apparate near the victim, slash their throat, and leave without any flashy spells.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10889906/15 Getting Too Old For This]]'' Literature/HarryPotter can modify firearms to be so powerful, they can be fired at a ship in orbit and still "[[MythologyGag ruin someone's day]]". However, he's the ''only'' person in the galaxy who can make said modifications. And it takes him at least thirty hours for a single gun, and if he makes a single mistake it could result in a nuclear explosion. Thankfully, those are the only drawbacks; once a gun is completed, it's just as safe and reliable as any gun like it.
* Johnny and Yosaku's ultimate techniques during the Alabasta arc in ''Fanfic/ShinobiOfTheHighSeas'' leaves their legs and hands useless respectively.

* In ''[[http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-31008/HeatherSin+Butterflied.htm Butterflied]]'', [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Xander]] is (due to the actions of a [[Franchise/StarWars Sith]]) TheAgeless and automatically copies the form, skills, and memories of anyone he comes in contact with. The problem is it's automatic so he cannot prevent his body from doing it if he makes skin contact, and doing so knocks him out for several hours afterwards. The Sith who made him that way intended to make him her new host body but realized the shapeshifting was rather useless for infiltration.
* In ''Fanfic/TheBlackEmperor'', Lelouch and Milly designed several prototype Knightmare Frames but had to can each of them for various reasons. One designed for long range artillery support was too heavy to move faster than a crawl; another that [[TransformingMecha changed into a plane]] was exceedingly fragile and couldn't fly for long due to fuel constraints.
** Lelouch views the Knightmare lances this way. While they ''can'' inflict a great deal of damage, they also require you charge straight at your opponent; otherwise they're just less efficient tonfas.
* ''Fanfic/PowerRangersMythos'';
** When the displaced Rangers learn about the medical nanobots of the future, Flynn suggests using the nanobots to cure the Grid of Avanth's poisoning, but Fae explains that such an idea wouldn't work as it would require far more nanobots than she can acquire.
** While Flynn's axe is an impressive weapon on its own, he is unable to use it when fighting a monster in the Paris catacombs as the tunnels are too narrow for him to swing it properly.

* In ''Fanfic/ForumOfThrones'', Bear's knife gloves are terrifying, but practically useless in a real fight, since he can barely parry with them. He mostly uses them to intimidate, or when he gets into a brawl, but the moment he meets a real opponent, he has to waste precious time with drawing his sword.
** Sasha is fighting with a dothraki arakh. While the weapon itself is certainly awesome ''and'' practical on top when in Essos, it loses a lot of the latter attribute in Westeros, where more heavy armour is common. [[SubvertedTrope It still gives her an advantage against enemies who wear only light armour though]].
** The Targaryen dragons, of all things, while very much essential for the war, can get into situations in which they are very impractical, namely in a battle. Their main weapon, breathing fire on their opponents, is kind of hard to use without causing massive casualties to their own troops, through literal FriendlyFire.
* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16579166/chapters/39635328#workskin Founding the Junior Avengers]]'', Princess Shuri suggests improving the strength of Peter's webbing by adding powdered vibranium. Peter immediately shoots the idea down, citing that he goes through a ridiculous amount of webbing and it's not reusable. Tony even jokes at the idea of someone who can go through a fortune even faster than he can.

* [=BlackMegaGargomon=] from the ''Fanfic/TamersForeverSeries'' has an unbelievably powerful technique known as the Black Moon Flare, which causes unfathomable amounts of devastation within a vast radius. Unfortuneatly, the technique happens to be a little ''too'' powerful, and D.C is only ever able to manage one use of it. [[spoiler: And that ends up being a WorfBarrage]]

* In ''Fanfic/CalvinAtCamp,'' Calvin, Jason, and Marcus try to attack Kevin with medieval weapons, but find out the hard way that although the weapons look cool, for young boys they are impossible to lift.

* [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Kagero]] in ''FanFic/ABrighterDark'' describes assassinations in general as this. While they can be massive problem solvers if used and executed correctly, there are a lot of risks involved. Mainly in how any plan can be [[SpannerInTheWorks ruined by the slightest change in the target's behavior for no real logical reason at all.]] She prefers at least a month's time to prepare and even then it's risky.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Fractured}}'', a Franchise/MassEffect[=/=]Franchise/StarWars crossover, the Trans-Galactic Republic's large Star Dreadnaughts are viewed this way due to using huge amounts of energy to operate, leaving them short-ranged and requiring massive supply lines.
* In the NextGenFic ''Fanfic/{{Paradoxus}}'' (''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' and ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''), unless properly taught, runic magic is way too mana-draining to be consistently useful. Add to it that only people with Asser blood[[note]]Solaria, Whisperia, and Domino's royal families[[/note]] can make use of it. Sucks Trisha and Altalune's mother, aunt, and grandmother are all either dead or missing in action -- because, whenever they try to use runes, they get temporarily paralyzed from mana-depletion. Runic magic can, for all of these shortcomings, be used to predict the future (though vaguely), fuel overpowered elemental attacks, and produce epic weapons when carved into them.

* ''FanFic/RedactionOfTheGoldenWitch'': While summoning demons and all manner of magical creations ''en masse'' may ''look'' awesome, it turns out to have a considerable drawback: the resulting contracts aren't as strong as they could have been. This creates a weakness that their enemy is able to exploit.

* In the ''{{Fanfic/Uplifted}}'' series, The Tiger tank prototype, as Hoch and Hanala find out when trying to take one deep behind enemy lines in Libya. It's clunky, over engineered, and unreliable in the conditions they face.

* ''Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops:'' Starkiller Base (see film) gets a pot-shot taken at it in one snippet, where a proposal for it is presented several years early to Vader and Sidious. Vader incredulously questions the point of something that overpowered - turns out the designer just thinks there's too many stars, and wants to get rid of them.
* ''Fanfic/OneDayAtATimeFanfic'': Wayne Hall, the Wayne Family's personal party venue. Modeled after the Acropolis of Athens, it's almost the size of a football field, has its own parking lot, supports a massive underground industrial kitchen along with a large storage area and a lounge for employees, has an in-built concert stage, stained glass windows, and a gigantic hanging crystal chandelier that puts even the one in the Manor to shame (for comparison, that chandelier was able to support a sleeping eight year old Dick Grayson without collapsing). It's also [[MoneySink extremely expensive to maintain]] and thus rarely ever ventured in outside of an annual spring cleaning. Prior to Jason's return gala (which also celebrated the adoption of Cass and the arrival of Damian), the last time an event was held there was Bruce Wayne's own return to Gotham after his five-year training trip -- ''thirteen years ago''.

* In the first chapter of ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13639506/1/Quantity-of-Quirks Quantity of Quirks]]'', Izuku's Quirk turns him into a ''massive'' Chinese dragon so large that his smaller teeth are bigger than any of his classmates. He also admits that it's pretty much useless for almost every test of the Quirk Assessment. Unstated is that he'd be unable to target anything smaller than a good sized building.
* Subverted in ''Fanfic/TheSecretReturnOfAlexMack'' with the SR-71 Blackbird. It can travel at up to Mach 3.5, but is horrendously expensive to run, which is why they've almost all been decommissioned. The thing is, it ''still'' makes economic sense to use one to ferry Terawatt around, because getting her to the target quickly can save truly colossal amounts of property damage and untold lives.
--> '''Jack''': And you don’t want to know what it costs to send you somewhere in an SR-71. But you know what? It would absolutely be worth it even if you cost us something crazy like a hundred million dollars a month, because you’ve saved a few billion lives already, and tens of trillions of dollars of people’s stuff. You’re the most cost-effective line item in the national budget.