History Main / SupportPower

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'' is possibly the UrExample of Point Buy, but is certainly the TropeCodifier. In Generals, they are referred to as "General Powers", in Red Alert 3 they are known as "Top Secret Protocols". They do not have any monetary cost in both cases.
** Some missions also have Miscellaneous, giving you access to support powers without the normal requirements or even entirely unique powers related to the plot.
* ''VideoGame/TheBattleForMiddleEarth'' uses the same system as the Generals example above. They were made by the same developers and on the same engine, so this is unsurprising. They are referred to as "Ring Powers".

* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'', every nation has a Home City. In game, once you earn enough XP (gained by destroying buildings or units, building buildings or units, or just a small trickle) you can choose and send a shipment from your home city. What you get can vary from resources to units to upgrading your buildings.
* ''VideoGame/ShatteredUnion'' player gains either good or evil points based on how much damage he did during battle. These unlock special powers, such as field repairs or [[NukeEm nuke]].

*** Aside from the superweapons, the second game only had the Paradrop ability gained from capturing an airfield (the US airfield gives one that drops more soldiers and doesn't stack with the other, allowing you to use both separately). ''Yuri's Revenge'' provided the Spy Plane to the Soviet Radar Dish and the Force Shield (makes all buildings in a large area invulnerable but shuts off all base power) for all Battle Labs.
* ''VideoGame/DuneII'' has the "Fremen attack", which makes Fremen appear and charge at a specific target. You get it from building a Palace.

* The ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' campaign has different kinds of those. On many missions, your MissionControl reveals portions of the map for you, usually those containing objectives. Certain types of units and buildings are not built at your base directly but arrive via "drop pods" from your CoolStarship -- this includes all mercenary units, as well as, possibly, supply depots and barracks units depending on how you spend your protoss research points. ''Legacy of the Void'' lets you call direct support from your flagship to summon units or bombard enemies.

* The ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' campaign has different kinds of those. On many missions, your MissionControl reveals portions of the map for you, usually those containing objectives. Certain types of units and buildings are not built at your base directly but arrive via "drop pods" from your CoolStarship -- this includes all mercenary units, as well as, possibly, supply depots and barracks units depending on how you spend your protoss research points.

* ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsBattleForMiddleEarth'' uses the same system as the Generals example above. They were made by the same developers and on the same engine, so this is unsurprising. They are referred to as "Ring Powers".

** For instance, building an Airfield in ''[=RA1=]'' would allow the Soviets to send a spy plane to reveal parts of the map, or drop paratroopers or [[DeathFromAbove Para]][[AwesomeButImpractical bombs]]. Plus there's the [[NukeEm Su]][[KillSat per]][[WeatherControlMachine wea]][[TeleportersAndTransporters pons]] in each game, available after building the last building on the techtree.

* In ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'', in which you play a "Summoner" controlling a champion for use as an avatar, each player gets two slots for these powers and has to choose which of about 10 spells s/he is going to bring. They range from "Immediate champion healing" to "FlashStep" to "KillItWithFire," and many of them can only be deployed in a certain range around your champion.
* Not an RTS, but in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration OG Saga:]] VideoGame/EndlessFrontier'', the characters stuck in your back row once you've exceeded ArbitraryHeadcountLimit can do this. (To say nothing of the deep pockets you get for the PartyInMyPocket come the sequel, where rotating back-row support goes hand-in-hand with a separate tier of pure support characters.)

* Fairies from ''VideoGame/GirlsFrontline'' are drones with ([[CloudCuckoolander often quirky]]) onboard [=AIs=] that can grant various tactical and strategic bonuses, ranging from giving buffs from your T-Dolls, calling off-map artillery support, or allowing echelons to paradrop in the middle of hostile territory. Using these abilities costs certain amounts of "Support Order", which regenerates over time. In addition to skills, fairies also have a randomly-activated talent as well as passive buffs to the echelon they're attached to. Like T-Dolls and equipment, the primary way to obtain them is through production, and their skills, talents, and general stats can be improved through various means.