History Main / SituationalSword

* The pictured sword, Sting from ''LordOfTheRings'', glows blue when orcs are near, and is an effective weapon against them. It's also effective against {{Giant Spider}}s such as the infamous Shelob.

* Lion-O of ''{{Thundercats}}'' fame possessed a nifty sword that could literally get him out of any situation. For example, on one occasssion it essentially transformed into a pole-vault and propelled him up the side of a castle.

--> '''Caboose''': Or... it's a key all the time... and when you stick it in people, it unlocks their souls and they die.

* Several weapons in ''TeamFortress2'', including the ''Axtinguisher'' which does more damage to burning players, and the ''Equalizer'' [[DesperationAttack which does more damage and makes you run faster if you are low on health]].

* ''{{Naruto}}'' presents us with the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, each of which posses a sword with a special ability. Starting off, [[EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks 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 heel face turn]], actually does something other than [[AwesomeYetImpractical look menacing and heavy]]. It can repair itself by sucking the iron out of someone's blood.

* ''{{Naruto}}'' presents us with the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, each of which posses a sword with a special ability. Starting off, [[EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks 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 heel face turn]], actually does something other than [[AwesomeYetImpractical look menacing and heavy]]. It can repair itself by sucking the iron out of someone's blood.

* In ''KatekyoHitmanReborn'', Yamamoto has two weapons like this: A baseball bat that turns into a sword when swung at a certain (fast) speed, and a bamboo sword that turns into a real one when he uses his special techniques.

* Several weapons in TeamFortress2, including the ''Axtinguisher'' which does more damage to burning players, and the ''Equalizer'' [[DesperationAttack which does more damage and makes you run faster if you are low on health]]

[[LordOfTheRings http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lotr_sting_fx.jpg]]

* ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'''s [[OldMaster Cologne]] owns the Poison-Cleaving Sword, a semi-sentient Chinese ''dao'' with a flower at the tip. This flower has a mouth, and it detects poison and warns the wielder when poison is nearby... and then tries to run away from it, pulling the wielder along if necessary. The reason? Although the Poison Cleaver can indeed cut through any poison and render it harmless, it dies after just one stroke. And, in its own words, [[ShoutOut the rest... is silence]].

Situational Swords are similar in concept to the EmpathicWeapon, but generally tend to be non-Sentient. When EmpathicWeapons is a Situational Sword, it is usually LoyalPhlebotinum.

Situational Swords are similar in concept to the EmpathicWeapon, but generally tend to be non-Sentient.

** An even better example would be his brother's sword, a HealingShiv that's useless for normal fights but happens to be [[ReviveKillsZombie the only weapon that can harm otherwise immaterial spirits]].

* In JamesSwallow's ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' BloodAngels novel ''Deus Sanguinius'', Rafen learns that to wield the Spear of Telesto, he must [[spoiler:stop trying to master the Red Thirst. Fortunately for him, the spear protects him from the Black Rage, the insanity that ensues when the Red Thirst runs wild in a Blood Angel.]]

* ''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 oringinal also had a nifty 'Longsword + 1/+ 3 vs shapeshifters' (which you fough a ''lot'' of).

** All the Ultimate Weapons in the [[FinalFantasyVII seventh game]] have effects like this, with some examples being the aforementioned Ultima Weapon, Vincent's Death Penalty (does more damage dependent 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.

* Some of Fred Saberhagen's Swords of Power have situational powers. The most notable is Townsaver, which can make the wielder nigh-unbeatable in battle, but only if he's defending helpless people in a held place.

* In ''TheNeverendingStory'', Bastian receives the magical sword Sikanda. The sword is amazing, and quite possibly [[EmpathicWeapon alive]], evidenced by the way it guides Bastian's hand and makes peerless, flawless cuts once it leaps out of the sheath, but there are a number of limitations. First of all, 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 danger (Bastian has to disappoint a few good men who wish to be knighted by the blade because of it). Secondly, Bastian may only draw the sword and use it when it leaps willingly from the sheath. At the height of his growing madness later in the story, Bastian attempts to use Sikanda to fight [[spoiler:Atreyu]]. The sword refuses to budge from the sheath, but Bastian continues to tug at it, and finally tears it out of its sheath by brute force. In that instant, a terrible sound echoes through the tower, and Sikanda's light and power are lost forever.