History Main / SituationalSword

** Jojolion's StarterVillain Ojiro Sasame's stand Fun Fun Fun can use PeoplePuppets, but it only works if he injures his target (directly or indirectly), and he can only puppeteer people who are physically beneath him, like being on a lower floor of a building.[[spoiler:He eventually manages to solve the need for injury when TheBusCameBack later, but unfortunately he is soon after killed by Jobin.]]

** Subverted with [[InfinityPlusOneSword Tessaiga]]. Tessaiga's trigger is the desire to protect humans. Inuyasha therefore has to learn the value of protecting humans before he can start using the sword. However, once he's got the hang of it, that doesn't matter so much. Mainly because he's now using the sword for the right reasons anyway so he doesn't have to consciously think about such things. The sword can therefore be used in any situation that requires a sword with no restrictions.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* [[Webcomic/SluggyFreelance Torg]] has a magical sword ([[ICallItVera dubbed]] [[FluffyTheTerrible Chaz]]) that, upon "drinking" the blood of an innocent, can cut through anything, kill PhysicalGods, and speak. Torg is typically too nice of a guy to actively acquire the needed blood. An amusing case is when his [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend friend Zoë]], unaware of Chaz's true nature and utterly stupefied by the suggestion, makes her single wish to a demon that allows Chaz to be empowered again.

* Since being reforged with starmetal, Roy's sword in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' occasionally channels energy that is harmful to undead and evil outsiders. [[spoiler:With it becoming an Ancestral Weapon during his fight against Vampire!Durkon, he attempted to learn how to turn it on and off at will. Instead it became a ClingyMcGuffin, since it turned out what he ''really'' wanted was to stop losing it every fight.]]
* In a parody of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' example, Lambert of ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'' has a magic sword that sings "Don't Stand So Close to Me" when orcs are near.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WebComic/EightBitTheater''. Sarda used a spell on Black Mage to make him [[BodyHorror vomit his own intestines]]. Fortunately, Black Mage had recently become a [[PowerCopying Blue Mage]] and was ready to return the favor. Unfortunately for [[ButtMonkey Black Mage]], [[spoiler:the spell was not 'make the target vomit their guts', but rather 'make ''Black Mage'' vomit his guts'. When he used said spell, it only resulted in [[HoistByHisOwnPetard him vomiting his own intestines again.]]]]

* The sword Rubilax in ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'' is technically a four-element demon, and therefore assumably has as many forms in addition to his normal one.

* The Medicine Peddler's sword in ''Anime/{{Mononoke}}'' can only be drawn when he learns more about mononoke. But once he gets the Shape, Truth, and Reason, asskicking [[{{BFS}} ensues]]. Thankfully, he is proficient in the use of the sword even when it's still sheathed, by using it as a blunt weapon not unlike a billy club.
* ''Manga/RaveMaster'' uses the Ten Commandments sword, which has a total of 10 separate situational swords. However, Runesave is the one that stands out the most, simply because it only cuts things that couldn't be cut, like the wind or magic.

* Kite from ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' wields the... well, '''weapon''' [[SentientWeapon Crazy Slot]] which randomly takes the form of one of nine weapons when [[HammerSpace materialized]]. These include a rifle, a SinisterScythe, and a club. He cannot dematerialize or switch it until used.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' presents us with the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, each of which possesses a sword with a special ability. Starting off, Kisame Hoshigaki has a [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment shark-themed]] sword that can eat other people's [[LifeEnergy chakra]], among other things. The most interesting, though is that after all these years, we finally find out that the sword of Zabuza Momochi, the first Swordsman ever met in the series and original BigBad before his spectacular HeelFaceTurn, actually does something other than [[AwesomeButImpractical look menacing and heavy]]. It can repair itself by sucking the iron out of someone's blood.

* Inverted in ''Anime/DogDays'' with Cinque's MorphWeapon Palladion; though his weapon is a staff, he figures out how to make it change into other forms, including a Frisbee, but remarks that for some reason he can't make it turn into a sword. [[spoiler:At the climax of the story, when faced with a giant demon that threatens all of Flognarde, he finally makes a sword out of it.]]
* In ''Literature/FateApocrypha'', Jack the Ripper's main Noble Phantasm, Maria the Ripper, are four daggers with three conditions. If the target is female, it is nighttime, and it is foggy, then they are an instant OneHitKill that eviscerates the target. If the conditions are not met, they are ordinary daggers. Luckily for her, another of her abilities allows her to summon a foggy night (with poisonous fog, no less) at will, so it's more frequently useful than you might expect.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** Johnny Joestar's Tusk [[spoiler:Act 4 is as broken as broken gets, but Johnny can only use it when he's on a horse. Justified; Tusk Act 4 requires mastery of the Super Spin, the Spin augmented by energy of a living being moving in harmony with the Golden Ratio, and Johnny's paraplegia means he can only pull it off on horseback.]]
** Catch the Rainbow's MakingASplash powers are incredibly versatile, but it works ''only'' with rainwater. And unlike the previous part's Weather Report, he can't actually make it rain. He's a terrifying opponent on a rainy day, but as soon as the skies clear, he's powerless.
** Jojolion's StarterVillain Ojiro Sasame's stand Fun Fun Fun can use PeoplePuppets, but it only works if he injures his target (directly or indirectly), and he can only puppeteer people who are physically beneath him, like being on a lower floor of a building.[[spoiler:He eventually manages to solve the need for injury when TheBusCameBack later, but unfortunately he is soon after killed by Jobin.]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Witchblade}}'': The titular weapon is stated to work exactly this way. It was adapted into a live-action TV series and an anime.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Papyrus}}'', Papyrus' magical sword, the Sword of Sobek. Whenever Papyrus shows courage, it will increase in length. The reverse is also true when Papyrus acted cowardly: the blade shrunk to dagger-sized. The sword can only be used by him or anyone of his choosing. Anyone with evil intent who tries to wield it will get injured.
* Some of the AbnormalAmmo types for the Lawgiver pistol in ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' can be this. [[PinballProjectile Ricochet rounds]] in particular are intended for hostage situations to ShootTheHostageTaker by using the ricochet to put the bullet in behind the hostage taker. Trouble is that this requires ImprobableAimingSkills. Dredd himself can consistently pull shots like this off, but other judges, such as Heller, can botch it.

* Alanna's sword Lightning in ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'' reveals its powers only after she has [[spoiler:given herself up to death.]] Or certain enemies are involved.
* In Creator/JamesSwallow's ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' ''[[Literature/BloodAngels Deus Sanguinius]]'', Rafen learns that to wield the Spear of Telesto, he must [[spoiler:[[ForbiddenChekhovsGun let loose with the Red Thirst]]. Fortunately for him, the spear protects him from [[TheBerserker the Black Rage]], the insanity that ensues when the Red Thirst runs wild in a Blood Angel.]]
* Felix's sword in ''Literature/GotrekAndFelix'' is enchanted to kill dragons and will grant its wielder extra strength and other bonuses, but only when fighting a dragon (or to get him through a fight so he can go fight a dragon later).
* In P.C. Hodgell's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'' series, the hereditary sword of the house of Knorth, ''Kin-slayer'', can cut through opponents as if they were butter -- but only when wielded by someone wearing the Knorth signet ring on their finger. Furthermore, it cannot be sheathed until it has killed someone, and the energy of the sword numbs the hand of the bearer. Meanwhile, the ''Ivory Knife'', an ancient heirloom artifact reputed to come from the Kencyrs' God, kills from the merest scratch. It is called "the very tooth of Death."
* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'':
** The sword Sting from ''Literature/TheHobbit'' and ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' is effective against most anything, but it also glows blue to give warning when orcs are near. This is a trait it shares with other Elven blades crafted during that period.
** The dagger Merry attacks the Witch-King with was also specifically made to fight beings of his nature, and so does crippling damage despite the Witch-King being a Ringwraith. In other situations, it's merely a decent hobbit-sized sword.
** Also from Creator/JRRTolkien: The sword Caudimordax (aka Tailbiter) in ''Literature/FarmerGilesOfHam'' will not stay sheathed if a dragon is within five miles, and also apparently gives a skill boost to its wielder when used against a dragon.
* Parodied in Terry Pratchett's ''Literature/TheWeeFreeMen'': the Nac mac Feegle have swords that glow blue in the presence of ''lawyers''. [[spoiler:It does lead to a nice case of foreshadowing on the ''cover of the book'' if you pay attention to who's present in the illustration.]]

* The title weapon in Creator/LawrenceWattEvans's ''Literature/{{Ethshar}}'' novel ''Literature/TheMisenchantedSword'' will do your fighting for you, but only against adult male humans, and once it kills, you have to sheath it and draw it again to re-activate its power. Also, [[BlessedWithSuck you can't resheath it or even let go of it until it's killed someone]].
** Also, no one else can use it, and you will die if and only if you have killed a hundred men with it (at which point it turns on you and finds a new owner - they will then remain alive until their 99th kill, and so on until some poor soul is slain on first drawing the blade). At first the character is unnerved by not knowing how close he was and that he could die at any time. Later, the character realizes it was AgeWithoutYouth and desperately tries to find a way to kill the last men. [[spoiler:Nothing that a youth spell wouldn't handle, though.]]
* Among her many other properties, the sword Need in Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series provides a considerable amount of protection from magic if she's wielded by a trained fighter. If wielded by a SquishyWizard, on the other hand, she gives no magical protection but instead makes the mage an [[InstantExpert expert swordswoman]]. In the hands of someone with no particular talents in either direction, she does ''both'' (and some other neat tricks besides). What might have happened if Need were wielded by a genuine MagicKnight is never quite shown in the series, since by the time it's an option, Need [[spoiler:has regained full sentience and thus gets a say in how she's used]]. The disadvantage is that Need can only be used by a woman, cannot harm a woman, and tends to provoke her bearer to protect women, which can get ''really'' troublesome at times.
* In ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'', the magical sword Sikanda. Only those who have eaten, drunk, and bathed in the flames of the Many-Colored Death, and ridden on his back, may touch the sword without (unspecified) danger. Also, the sword may only be used when it leaps from the sheath. When the sword is drawn through brute force, it makes a [[TakeOurWordForIt terrifying noise]], the sword's [[PowerGlows light]] goes out, and implicitly its enchantment is lost.

* ''Literature/ForestKingdom'': Early on in book 1 (''Blue Moon Rising''), Prince Rupert finds a sword which, if its wielder is in a desperate situation ''and his concern is less for himself than for others'', will call down a magical rainbow that disintegrates the supernatural evils caused by the Blue Moon. He nearly gets killed trying to invoke the rainbow in a tight spot where ''he's'' the only one he's really worried about.
* ''Literature/{{Percy Jackson|and the Olympians}}'''s sword ''Anaklusmos'' (Riptide) is made from Celestial Bronze and is only effective against monsters or those with divine blood such as other demigods. It is completely harmless if used against regular humans. In fact, those properties are precisely why Celestial Bronze weapons are so popular among Greek demigods; deadly to monsters without risking mortal casualties. Sequel series ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' introduces Imperial Gold and Stygian Iron, which are stated and implied, respectively, to have the same properties, while ''Literature/{{Magnus Chase|AndTheGodsOfAsgard}}'' similarly introduces Bone Steel.
* In the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series the Sword of Godric Gryffindor appears in the sorting hat when a true Gryffindor has need of it. This is probably a power of the hat rather than the sword, but both belonged to Gryffindor and so this was clearly the intention he had for it. It wasn't specifically made for this purpose, but it also happens to be one of the only things capable of destroying a Horcrux (by virtue of having absorbed a basilisk's venom).
* In the novel ''Literature/UserUnfriendly'' by Creator/VivianVandeVelde, the player characters find a [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings sword that glows in the presence of orcs]]. Since the players have artificially inflated their combat stats, the sword turns out to be more trouble than it's worth.
* The Sword of Truth in ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' is a big honking sharp piece of metal... that doesn't allow the bearer to hurt anyone or anything they believe innocent and magically guilts the user every time he kills someone, regardless. You have to be full of righteous fury just to ''use'' the damn thing. Unless you figure out [[spoiler:how to be full of sympathy and love for your target]] instead, which is a much better insulator. And then it turns out that the sword is also a repository for all of the experience and fighting prowess of all its past users that is instantly transferred during a specific test in an obscure jungle.
** And then it turns out [[spoiler:that it was all a SecretTestOfCharacter for the most important McGuffin of the series, and a key for it besides.]]

* Link's sword in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' shoots [[SwordBeam energy beams]] when he's at full health in the 2D games, otherwise it's limited to melee. In every 2D game except the first two, however, Link doesn't have this ability until he gets the Master Sword (or what other legendary sword is standing in for the Master Sword).
** The Master Sword is also known as the Sword of Evil's Bane, and can reflect and dispel evil magic. It's also stated to be wieldable only by the true hero, and untouchable by evil, but those never play much of a part in the actual games. It also serves as a lock at least twice. In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', pulling the sword from its pedestal transports Link to the Sacred Realm, where he sleeps for seven years, and putting it back returns him to his childhood, allowing him to travel back and forth in time. In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' pulling the sword breaks the seal on Hyrule, which had been frozen in time in a bubble beneath the Great Sea.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', the Master Sword has an above-average power of 30 at all times, and whenever it "breaks" it regenerates in just ten minutes. However, when put up against foes under the direct control of the Calamity, or Calamity Ganon itself, its strength ''doubles'', which can make taking out the Blight Ganons pretty much trivial. This can also be subverted by the same weapon because completing a difficult gauntlet available via [[DownloadableContent DLC]] makes the doubling effect ''always active'', which means you have a permanent, technically-unbreakable 60 Power shortsword at all times.
* Seen a lot in ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games, notably with weapons like Ultima Weapon (attack strength is tied to HP,) the ancient sword (chance of putting enemies to sleep,) and some weapons in Final Fantasy VI (which unleash spells when used on occasion.)
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV IV]]'' both allow you to cast spells from weapons if you select said armament from the inventory.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'': Some Blue Magic spells have "Level [value]" in their names, meaning they only work if the target has a multiple of the specific Level value. For example, Level 5 Doom only works on targets whose level is a multiple of 5. The caveat to this is that their effects typically bypass any immunities to their intended effect, including immunity to instant death.
** All the Ultimate Weapons in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' have effects like this, with some examples being the aforementioned Ultima Weapon, Vincent's Death Penalty (does more damage depending on how many enemies he's slain), and Tifa's Premium Heart, which does damage based on how much of her [[LimitBreak Limit]] gauge is full.
** All the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Celestial Weapons]] from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' are tied to a stat of the user, usually HP or MP. They do normal damage if that character's HP or MP is maxed, and less damage as HP/MP decreases. It's worth noting that Auron's sword, the Masamune, is an exception; it's weakest when he's at full health and deals far more damage as he loses health.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' has many weapons (and armor!) that will be stronger or have added effects depending on anything from the time of day, to the moon phase, to the weather, to being a StatusEffectPoweredAbility that checks the wielder, etc.
** [=Calculators/Arithmeticians=] in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' take the "Level X Spell" mechanic and build an entire moveset around it. Spells cast this way take no MP, no charge time, and you can pick the spell and the conditions it applies to, pushing this trope to an outright GameBreaker. For example, "Height Prime Holy" will [[LightEmUp laser blast]] any unit at heights 2, 3, 5, 7, and so on, which depending on the map could mean everyone on it, friend and foe alike.
** In ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'', booster accessories multiply the effects of most of your other accessories when certain conditions apply. The Iai Strike build in ''Duodecim'' takes this to its absurd conclusion. Take an accessory that gives you a 1% chance of [[OneHitKill instantly breaking your opponent]] and another that gives you a [[LastChanceHitPoint repeatable 1% chance of surviving lethal blows.]] Now all you need are enough boosters to get the maximum 99.9x multiplier to become functionally invincible, though in practice, that means you'll be walking in with no gear whatsoever and at level 1, against a fully-armed level 91-100 opponent.
* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'':
** Seraphic Weapons provide bonus damage only to the characters whose element it is strong against.
** Bahamut Weapons raise a percentage of HP and/or Attack but only to the characters of a specific race.
** Cosmos Weapons provide bonuses to characters of certain gameplay types (i.e. Balanced, Heal, Defense, Special, Attack)
** Atma Weapons provide bonuses to characters whose weapon proficiency matches that with the Atma Weapon's type.

* In the ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' series, any Artifact weapon, which is ''every'' weapon that's not a generic store-bought one, can randomly Unleash a named special attack instead of a normal hit, which is announced with a rather satisfying "[Character]'s [Weapon] lets out a howl!". Unleashes are [[ElementalRockPaperScissors elementally-aligned]] and add to or multiply the damage further than the basic CriticalHit, often with a further chance of extra effects. The games' best weapons are usually defined by how good their Unleashes are.
** Starting in ''[[VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge The Lost Age]]'', gear exists to up the chances of Unleashing, which ''can'' reach 100% to subvert the "Situational" part trope... and create one of if not the most powerful equipment setups in the game for Attack-heavy characters.
** ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' cuts out the middleman and makes the Critical Hit itself an Unleash. Most middle and endgame weapons are able to unlock further Unleashes the more each is used, with their original one usually being the last of those.
* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' has one kind of sword that glows when enemies are nearby, though unfortunately it counts normal-sized rats and spiders as enemies even though they can't hurt you. Also, weapons 'Of Disruption' have a chance of instantly vaporizing undead upon contact. The original also had a nifty 'bastard sword +1/+3 vs. shapeshifters' (which you fought a ''lot'' of).
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'' also has plenty of these. In fact, using runes the player can opt to make their weapon like this ie. +10 damage to darkspawn.

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', the Majestic Greatsword is said to have been passed down into many generations, all of its wielders being left-handed. If you do wield it on your left hand, the sword gains better scaling plus a new moveset reminiscent of Artoria's Greatsword from the first Dark Souls.
* The ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' series has the Lamb's Sword. In the first game, allowing the Lamb's Sword to reach critical [[BreakableWeapons WHP]] transforms it into the much stronger Wolf Sword until it is repaired. In the second game, the sword becomes the Wolf Sword from 9PM until 6AM, again with a boost in attack power.
* In ''VideoGame/ThreeDDotGameHeroes'', weapons are effectively useless unless you are at full health, at which point the upgrade abilities that either came with the weapons or were bought later kick in.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'': Robo's ultimate weapon, the Crisis Arm, has its power depend on Robo's last digit of HP. If the last digit is 0, it does no damage. If the last digit is 9, then it can consistently outdamage everyone except a level 99 Ayla. Thankfully, Robo hits [[{{Cap}} 999]] HP relatively early, so keeping the Crisis Arm powerful is merely a matter of keeping Robo as close to full HP as possible.
** The DS remake gives Lucca the Spellslinger, a similar weapon based on the last digit of her MP.
* Several weapons in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', including the ''Axtinguisher'' which does critical (triple) damage to burning players, and the ''Equalizer'' and ''Escape Plan'', which [[DesperationAttack does more damage]] and makes you run faster if you are low on health, respectively.
** And the Sniper's Bushwhacka which does critical damage whenever it would normally do a mini-crit, usually against a victim of Jarate.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Sonny}}'' series of flash games, many of the techs for the Shadow Psychological build are situational to the point of being frustratingly inconvenient at times, causing many to prefer the Electric Psycho build. In the Cold Hydro build, there is one attack called Shatter that can only be used on opponents who have 3 Ice elemental debuffs (if one debuff expires before Shatter can be cast, then it won't work).
* There's a number of these in the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series, such as the Muramasa (Damage is equal to your missing HP), the Custom Sword (Causes more damage the more filled the Custom Gauge is), the Gaia Sword (Absorbs the power of all the battle chips selected after it), and the N.O. Beam (very powerful, can only be used if there's an obstacle or enemy attack on the square behind you).
* In ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' some weapons have a "slaying" modifier which grants a 10-20% increase in damage to specific enemy types.
* In ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' "Slaying" sigils offer similar bonuses against specific enemy types.
* In ''VideoGame/KingArthurTheRolePlayingWargame'', you are King Arthur in the main campaign and start with the Excalibur (supposedly the greatest magic item in the game). However, the Excalibur is never used in combat; its power is to bless a place of arcane power so that you can create a seat of government on that site...and there's less than a handful of these sites. However, meeting the Lady in the Lake and empowering Excalibur [[spoiler:allows Arthur to convince his subjects to pay their taxes and agree to him drafting them into his armies.]]

* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'': Almost every non-standard piece of equipment comes with a drawback of some kind, usually in the form of a stat decrease or skill lock. The more rare the equipment, the better the tradeoff between bonuses and drawback(s). Half the equipment is specific to a single character class. If it doesn't have a drawback, it's usually weak or requires its set-sister to function at full power. Finally, you can't equip the same item twice on the same character.
* Jak can get a Situational LightningGun in ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'' with a specific upgrade for precursor orbs. Normally, Arc Wielder is a cool-looking but uninspiring weapon that shoots lightning arcs. With upgrade, it essentially [[OneHitKO oneshots]] robotic Mooks. Considering one of the three main factions you fight against is entirely made of them, this makes it much more useful.
* Rift Inducer in ''Videogame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal'' is like this. It is an [[OneHitKO instant kill to anything it works on]], which is small to medium-sized enemies, excluding bosses.

* In ''Aggelos'', the Bubble Sword and Coral Armor greatly increase your attack and defense while you're underwater, with the Bubble Sword also granting a short-range BubbleGun attack.

* Since being reforged with starmetal, Roy's sword in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' occasionally channels energy that is harmful to undead and evil outsiders. [[spoiler:With it becoming an Ancestral Weapon during his fight against Vampire!Durkon, he's learning how to turn it on and off at will.]]

* The Leadership Matrix in ''{{Transformers}}'' canon only works in situations where the Autobots are faced with the most abominable of EldritchAbomination types, such as Unicron or a virus swarm, and there's little other recourse for them. Under the right conditions, the Matrix can then be used to "light our darkest hour".

* ''Manga/DragonQuestTheAdventureOfDai'': Dai's FullPotentialUpgrade, the Sword of Dai, refuses to be wielded irresponsibly - it will only open the lock on its sheath when Dai faces an enemy too powerful for him to defeat without its aid. The rest of the time, Dai fights with a knife or his bare fists. In the sword's introduction, this is used to establish how far Dai has grown beyond his opponents; afterwards it's a source of OhCrap moments when an enemy is so dangerous that merely ''showing up'' causes Dai's sword to unlock by itself.

* Kite from ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' wields the... well, '''weapon''' [[SentientWeapon Crazy Slot]] which randomly takes the form of one of nine weapons when [[HammerSpace materialized]]. These include a rifle, a SinisterScythe and a club. He cannot dematerialize or switch it until used.

* Inverted in ''Anime/DogDays'' with Cinque's MorphWeapon Palladion: though his weapon is a staff, he figures out how to make it change into other forms, including a Frisbee, but remarks that for some reason he can't make it turn into a sword. [[spoiler:At the climax of the story, when faced with a giant demon that threatens all of Flognarde, he finally makes a sword out of it.]]

** That said, there is hope. The power in the Swords lay not in the sword but the concept from which the Sword is named. If one has faith in that Power, it can constitute the Sword. [[spoiler:This is demonstrated when Butters later reforges it into a lightsabre because it is the symbol of Butter's Faith in right over coming wrong, good beating evil, one man can make the difference, and if he needs to die to save the lives of children and friends in a delaying action, he will walk to that with his head high, and all this he learned from ''Star Wars''. However, even this has a drawback. To have this stronger power there is now a limit on the Sword to only work on absolutes. It will not hurt mortal flesh like the metal form could. Mortals are rarely 100% absolutely evil. The angelic light passes through mortal skin and clothing without harming the person. A demon or supernatural evil will be harmed but not a mortal servant of that creature who serves willingly]].

** The ''Victor'' has good speed and mobility for an Assault 'Mech, 4 hexes of walking movement and 4 jump jets letting it ignore hindering terrain, change its facing easily, and making it harder to hit when it jumps, and has a brutal array of short-range weapons with its [=AC/20=] and SRM 4, but is severely underarmored for its tonnage. This makes it great in quick skirmishes and especially striking from ambush, where it can get close and deliver a knock-out blow before the enemy can chew through its meager armor. In stand-off battle, the ''Victor'' is likely to take severe damage before it can close to effective range, if not be destroyed outright.

** Perhaps the most spectacular of these is the ''[=UrbanMech=]'', a 30 ton light 'Mech with only ''two'' walking speed (yes, slower than the 100 ton ''Atlas''), two jump jets for maneuverability, near maximum armor for its tonnage, and an [=AC/10=] that takes half the 'Mech's mass. In the close, confined quarters of a city fight, it's a potent (and ''very'' cheap) little powerhouse. In any other environment, it's a pure liability.

* In ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' some weapons have a "slaying" modifier which grant a 10-20% increase in damage to specific enemy types.

** Boudica is just as bad if not worse than Siegfried - while she's set up to be a tank, her first skill increases her attack against enemies with the Roman attribute; however, the majority of said enemies are found in the Septem interlude, and the majority of them are part of the three Knight classes (Saber, Archer, Lancer), which Boudica being a Rider class servant, part of the four Cavalry classes. Even worse, unlike Siegfried, her Noble Phantasm is a ''defensive'' one, and her attack stat is very poor without her first skill. However, it is worth noting that against Swimsuit Nero, Caligua, or Spartacus, she's terrifying. In addition, after the release of [[spoiler:Romulus-Quirinus]], who can bestow the Roman trait on enemies with both his skills and Noble Phantasm, she can suddenly be used in any context.

* Jak can get a Situational LightningGun in ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'' with a specific upgrade for precursor orbs. Normally, Arc Wielder is a cool-looking but uninspiring weapon that shoots lightning arcs. With upgrade, it essentially [[OneHitKO oneshots]] robotic Mooks. Considering one of three main factions you fight against is entirely made of them, this makes it much more useful.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WebComic/EightBitTheater''. Sarda used a spell on Black Mage to make him [[BodyHorror vomit his own intestines]]. Fortunately, Black Mage had recently become a [[PowerCopying Blue Mage]], and was ready to return the favor. Unfortunately for [[ButtMonkey Black Mage]], [[spoiler:the spell was not 'make the target vomit their guts', but rather 'make ''Black Mage'' vomit his guts'. When he used said spell, it only resulted in [[HoistByHisOwnPetard him vomiting his own intestines again.]]]]

** Johnny Joestar's Tusk [[spoiler: Act 4 is as broken as broken gets, but Johnny can only use it when he's on a horse. Justified; Tusk Act 4 requires mastery of the Super Spin, the Spin augmented by energy of a living being moving in harmony with the Golden Ratio, and Johnny's paraplegia means he can only pull it off on horseback.]]

** Jojolion's StarterVillain Ojiro Sasame's stand Fun Fun Fun can use PeoplePuppets, but it only works if he injures his target (directly or indirectly), and he can only puppeteer people who are physically beneath him, like being on a lower floor of a building.[[spoiler: He eventually manages to solve the need for injury when TheBusCameBack later, but unfortunately he is soon after killed by Jobin.]]

* The Sword of Truth in ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' is a big honking sharp piece of metal... that doesn't allow the bearer to hurt anyone or anything they believe innocent and magically guilts the user every time he kills someone, regardless. You have to be full of righteous fury just to ''use'' the damn thing. Unless you figure out [[spoiler: how to be full of sympathy and love for your target]] instead, which is a much better insulator. And then it turns out that the sword is also a repository for all of the experience and fighting prowess of all its past users that is instantly transferred during a specific test in an obscure jungle.
** And then it turns out [[spoiler: that it was all a SecretTestOfCharacter for the most important McGuffin of the series, and a key for it besides.]]

** The flip side is that if someone uses them for the wrong reason (such as when [[spoiler: Harry brandishes one to try to break his word on a freely-made bargain]]) they lose their power and can be handled or destroyed by creatures of darkness unless they return to the hands of their chosen Knights. Demonstrated in ''Skin Game'' when [[spoiler:Murphy rejects Nicodemus' surrender and attacks while passing judgement on him after he ordered his lackeys to murder Harry]]. He shatters it with ease.
** That said, there is hope. The power in the Swords lay not in the sword but the concept from which the Sword is named. If one has faith in that Power, it can constitute the Sword. [[spoiler: This is demonstrated when Butters later reforges it into a lightsabre because it is the symbol of Butter's Faith in right over coming wrong, good beating evil, one man can make the difference, and if he needs to die to save the lives of children and friends in a delaying action, he will walk to that with his head high, and all this he learned from ''Star Wars''. However, even this has a drawback. To have this stronger power there is now a limit on the Sword to only work on absolutes. It will not hurt mortal flesh like the metal form could. Mortals are rarely 100% absolutely evil. The angelic light passes through mortal skin and clothing without harming the person. A demon or supernatural evil will be harmed but not a mortal servant of that creature who serves willingly]].

** The ''Victor'' has good speed and mobility for an Assault 'Mech, 4 hexes of walking movement and 4 jump jets letting it ignore hindering terrain, change its facing easily, and making it harder to hit when it jumps, and a brutal array of short-range weapons with its [=AC/20=] and SRM 4, but is severely underarmored for its tonnage. This makes it great in quick skirmishes and especially striking from ambush, where it can get close and deliver a knock-out blow before the enemy can chew through its meager armor. In stand-off battle, the ''Victor'' is likely to take severe damage before it can close to effective range, if not be destroyed outright.

* In ''VideoGame/KingArthurTheRolePlayingWargame'', you are King Arthur in the main campaign and start with the Excalibur (supposedly the greatest magic item in the game). However, the Excalibur is never used in combat; its power is to bless a place of arcane power so that you can create a seat of government on that site...and there's less than a handful of these sites. However, meeting the Lady in the Lake and empowering Excalibur [[spoiler: allows Arthur to convince his subjects to pay their taxes and agree to him drafting them into his armies.]]

** Big Ears' axe has a situational strength and weakness at once: [[spoiler: it can't hurt paladins. Useful when someone tries to take it from Big Ears, not so useful when trying to fight another paladin (though this limitation was once cleverly exploited).]]

* Since being reforged with starmetal, Roy's sword in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' occasionally channels energy that is harmful to undead and evil outsiders. [[spoiler: With it becoming an Ancestral Weapon during his fight against Vampire!Durkon, he's learning how to turn it on and off at will.]]

* In ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', Tucker's energy sword generally acts just the same as the ''Halo'' item, but it also occasionally functions as a key for alien tech. [[spoiler: The key thing is its intended use, it being an effective weapon is actually a secondary benefit.]]
--> '''Church''': So, it is a sword. It just happens to function like a key in very specific situations.

* In ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'', Jack the Ripper's main Noble Phantasm, Maria the Ripper, are four daggers with three conditions. If the target is female, it is nighttime, and it is foggy, then they are an instant OneHitKill that eviscerates the target. If the conditions are not met, they are ordinary daggers. Luckily for her, another of her abilities allows her to summon a foggy night (with poisonous fog, no less) at will, so it's more frequently useful than you might expect.

* There's a number of these in the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series, such as the Muramasa (Damage is equal to your missing HP), the Custom Sword (Causes more damage the more filled the Custom Gauge is), and the Gaia Sword (Absorbs the power of all the battle chips selected after it).

* ''Literature/{{Percy Jackson|and the Olympians}}'''s sword ''Anaklusmos'' (Riptide) is made from celestial bronze and is only effective against monsters or those with divine blood such as other demigods. It is completely harmless if used against regular humans. In fact, those properties are precisely why celestial bronze weapons are so popular among Greek demigods; deadly to monsters without risking mortal casualties.

Situational Swords are similar in concept to the EmpathicWeapon but generally tend to be non-Sentient. When EmpathicWeapon is a Situational Sword, it is usually LoyalPhlebotinum; an [[EmpathicWeapon empathic]] Situational Sword can sometimes enforce its criteria through WeaponWieldsYou. One common subtrope is WeaponOfXSlaying.