History PlayingWith / BadassNormal

'''Basic Trope''': A character who, despite lacking the magical enhancements of the main cast, still holds their own in a fight.
* '''Straight''': Bob is the only character on the FiveManBand who cannot use any sort of magic. Despite only having a sword (because he's the hero), he is more than capable of being competent in a fight.

** Nearly ''everyone'', including animals, can use magic...except for Bob. But he doesn't let this get him down.

** Bob, the most ordinary average joe possible, [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu can go toe to toe with God, Eldritch Abominations, Reality Warpers and Cosmic Entities]]. And win.
* '''Downplayed''':
** Bob does have magical powers, [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway yet they're so situational and underwhelming,]] that it is as if they didn't exist. So, he has to rely on good-old training and wits to fight alongside his magic-wielding comrades.
** Bob uses [[TryingToCatchMeFightingDirty underhanded tactics]] to get the upper hand.

** MugglesDoItBetter and the superpowered beings haven't been able to adapt back.

** Alternatively, anyone that uses Magic is a SquishyWizard.
** Alternatively, magicians are still human (or {{demihuman}}), so they are [[RealityEnsues just as vulnerable as everyone else to bullet/swords/arrows]]. Bob is just a skilled sniper/sword fighter/archer.
** Bob's four friends, Alice the BigBadassBirdOfPrey, Dave the KingOfBeasts, Charlie the CoolHorse, and Emily the BigBadassWolf, are all {{Fully Dressed Cartoon Animal}}s, and only animals can use magic. Bob, the TokenHuman, learns to imbue his sword with spells, creating physical elemental attacks.

** OR: Bob, the one non-magical character, is completely useless and considered TheLoad.

** OR: It's revealed Bob's proficiency at martial arts and physical fighting has a magical origin.

* '''Parodied''': The people who use magic aren't really that good at it, and Bob is a world-class fighter capable of using several different martial arts. However, Bob moans about his lack of magic at any given opportunity.

** OR: Bob is an ordinary {{Muggle}} and can't hold his own in a fight against magic users.

* '''Defied''': Bob decides to try to learn magic.

** Bob finds himself being [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards outperformed by his allies who have access to magic.]] This causes him to stop fighting altogether.

** [[RealityEnsues Reality Ensues:]] magic users have a tendency to learn martial arts and tactical thinking as well, in order to give themselves an even greater advantage over others during a real battle. The natural result is that when Bob encounters an enemy who is both equally combat skilled and magically talented, Bob's magical handicap ultimately becomes his undoing and gets him quickly [[DroppedABridgeOnHim vaporized with no fanfare.]]
** Bob's lack of abilities causes him to develop a crippling inferiority complex, despite his impressive fighting skills. TheVerse is split between people who view him as pathetic or underestimate him, and those who view him as a messiah because of his skills, while Bob himself is unable to really appreciate his own contributions.

** However, when it looks like he's going to be outperformed, he starts training much harder to compensate.
** Bob understands the [[MagicAIsMagicA limitations of magic]], and can exploit them to his advantage.
** His RoaringRampageOfRevenge after coming BackFromTheDead destroys all the enemies.

* '''Downplayed''': Bob does have magical powers, [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway yet they're so situational and underwhelming,]] that it is as if they didn't exist. So, he has to rely on good-old training and wits to fight alongside his magic-wielding comrades.

* '''Lampshaded''': "Why haven't you used your magic yet?"

** Bob, the most ordinary average joe in the entire world, [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu punches out an Eldritch Abomination]].

* '''Downplayed''': Bob does have magical powers, [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway yet they're pretty lame.]]

* '''Downplayed''': ???

** Bob is MilesGloriosus, FakeUltimateHero, or only BadassOnPaper.
* '''Double Subverted''': Turns out that his magic is in the form of pre-made magical reagents that he can not make himself.

** BadassAbnormal

* '''Deconstructed''':
** Bob finds himself being [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards outperformed by his allies who have access to magic.]] This causes him to stop fighting altogether.
** Bob's lack of magical prowess is viewed as a handicap by his magic-using peers, given what they face. Whether or not this actually restricts him depends on the degree of cynicism of the story (What? Not every deconstruction needs to be doom and gloom).
** [[RealityEnsues Reality Ensues:]] magic users have a tendency to learn martial arts and tactical thinking as well, in order to give themselves an even greater advantage over others during a real battle. The natural result is that when Bob encounters an enemy who is both equally combat skilled and magically talented, Bob's magical handicap ultimately becomes his undoing and gets him quickly [[DroppedABridgeOnHim vaporized with no fanfare.]]
* '''Reconstructed''':
** However, when it looks like he's going to be outperformed, he starts training much harder to compensate.
** Bob understands the [[MagicAIsMagicA limitations of magic]], and can exploit them to his advantage.
** His RoaringRampageOfRevenge after coming BackFromTheDead destroys all the enemies.

Back to BadassNormal.
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* '''Exaggerated''': Nearly ''everyone'', including animals, can use magic...except for Bob. But he doesn't let this get him down.

* '''Justified''': Bob lacks TheGift that allows people to use magic, but trains really hard to make up for it.

* '''Inverted''': Bob is the only person on Earth who's capable of using magic.

* '''Subverted''': Bob ''can'' use magic - he just keeps it secret so he can [[IAmNotLeftHanded bust it out unexpectedly during a fight.]]

* '''Deconstructed''': Bob finds himself being [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards outperformed by his allies who have access to magic.]] This causes him to stop fighting altogether.

* '''Reconstructed''': However, when it looks like he's going to be outperformed, he starts training much harder to compensate.

* '''Averted''': Bob can use magic.

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** alternatively, anyone that uses Magic are [[SquishyWizard Squishy Wizards]]

*** or he has enough CharlesAtlasSuperpower to achieves Metahuman-level Strength, Speed, and Durability to makes up his inability of using magic

** Alternatively, Bob is a HenshinHero

*** or he has enough CharlesAtlasSuperpower to achieves Metahuman-level Strength, Speed, and Durability

** Bob's four friends, Alice the BigBadassBirdOfPrey, Dave the KingOfBeasts, Charlie the CoolHorse, and Emily the BigBadassWolf, are all furries, so they can use magic. Bob, the TokenHuman, learns to imbue his sword with spells, creating physical elemental attacks.

* '''Straight''': Bob is the only character on the FiveManBand who cannot use any sort of magic. Despite only knowing martial arts, he is more than capable of being competent in a fight.

** Despite everyone else having [[RealityWarper reality-altering supermagic]], Bob (who has no magic or fighting skills of any sort whatsoever) is an [[ImplacableMan implacable]] OneManArmy.

* '''Double Subverted''': However, he's not very proficient with that magic - which is why he prefers to use martial arts.

* '''Justified''': Bob lacks TheGift that allows people to use magic.

** OR: Bob is played up as a BadAss, but gets [[CurbstompBattle curbstomped]] the first time we actually see him in a fight.

* '''Deconstructed''': Bob finds himself being outperformed by his allies who have access to magic. This causes him to stop fighting altogether.

* '''Discussed''': ???
* '''Conversed''': ???