%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1615547902063470700
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
%%
[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/RustyAndCo https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_platform.png]]]]
%%
Faced with an impassable obstacle, such as a body of water, characters create improvised platforms in order to transverse safely.

The ability to create platforms to cross wide gaps is a common PowerUp in platformers/action-adventure games. A BarrierWarrior can use his/her powers to make these.

Supertrope of FrozenFoePlatform, as that uses powers to turn non-platforms into platforms. See also CraniumRide, SteppingStonesInTheSky, LilyPadPlatform, and LeafBoat. May overlap with BridgeLogic.

----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In Chapter 2 of ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaInnocent'', Suzuka uses her [[AnIcePerson Ice Shields]] to create some stepping stones for [[InASingleBound Arisa]] to help her reach a high target when Arisa insists on RoofHopping instead of flying since "humans aren't able to just ... start flying all of the sudden"
* ''Manga/ArpeggioOfBlueSteel'': Mental Models use their [[BeehiveBarrier Klein Field]] as this.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** In ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'', minor villain Sale has the power to freeze small objects in position relative to other objects. One of his many uses for this power is to throw a handful of gravel and freeze it in midair, creating a 'ladder' that allows him to climb a sheer cliff face.
** In ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'', titular Jolyne Kujo uses her power to unravel herself into string to cross a lake.
* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': Akira's fifth and onward sets of PoweredArmor have a feature for difficult terrain traversal, advertised as helping you move at full speed in mud or ice, by creating a force field. What Akira actually uses it for is this, shooting and doing acrobatics in the air, and some of his opponents do the same. A later CoolBike Akira gets also makes paths in the air out of force fields, allowing limited flight as long as it has enough power reserves.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* During the battle against the giant fairies in ''FanFic/FantasyOfUtterRidiculousness'', Coop has Megas use one of them as a means of gaining enough height to deliver an elbow drop to another.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''Literature/{{Mabinogion}}'', the giant Bendigeidfran lets his men use ''him'' as a bridge. A fo ben, bid bont ("He who would be a head, let him be a bridge")!
* ''Literature/TheWitchOfKnightcharm'': The protagonist Emily learns to use the shields that she summons from her pentacle amulet as these. This gives her some additional versatility in combat, since she can make her own platforms to outmaneuver her foes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'': Kopaka uses his [[AnIcePerson ice]] ElementalPowers to create a pillar of ice for him and Matoro to land on after being ambushed near a cliff by a Nui-Rama.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'':
** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'': one level requires the Kongs to throw barrels in the water as platforms, since the [[GrimyWater water is occupied by a Nibbla]].
** Squitter, one of the animal companions in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'', lets you create platforms out of webs.
* One of the brush techniques in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' creates [[LilyPadPlatform lily pads on water for you to stand on]].
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' has the Cloud Cap which makes clouds under Mario.
* Several of the ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' games have a power that lets you summon up to three platforms.
** [[VideoGame/MegaMan1 The first game]] has the Magnet Beam, a weapon that allows you to fire a temporary platform from his arm cannon, and is necessary to complete the game.
** ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'' has the Item-1, -2, and -3 devices, which create platforms of various types. Item-1 makes platforms that float up in midair, Item-2 makes a platform that travels horizontally, and Item-3's platform climbs against walls.
** Later games feature Mega Man's canine sidekick Rush, whose "Rush Jet" functions as a moving, midair platform.
** ''VideoGame/MegaMan5'' has the "Super Arrow", which sticks to walls and can be used as a temporary platform.
** ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' has the "Concrete Shot", which upon impact creates a temporary block to stand on.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'' had the Ice Wall, which fires out an ice pillar. Megaman or Bass can then push the ice pillar and stand on it like a rideable platform.
** In ''VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp'', when playing as Ice Man, his Ice Slasher turns enemies into blocks of ice that can be stepped on.
* Likewise, a number of the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' games have one.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX1'' has Shotgun Ice. When charged to full, it becomes an ice sled that X can ride on, in a manner similar to Ice Wall from ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass''.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX2'' has Crystal Hunter, which [[CrystalPrison traps weaker enemies in crystal blocks]] that you can step on.
** A Charged Frost Spear in ''VideoGame/MegaManX3'', ''but only when in the water'' (it becomes a large ice block underwater).
** Lightning Web from ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' creates an improvised wall to WallJump on.
** Ice Burst from ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'' fires out a snowball accompanied by two ice projectiles. X can move the snowball and stand on it.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'': You can put bits of scrap and other rubbish on the sand to avoid disturbing the Antlions.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Scribblenauts}}'', you can write the name of any object you want, such as "dock" or even "floating platform".
* ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'': in the second screen, you need to [[spoiler:shoot one of the spikes on the wall to knock it over and use it as a platform.]]
** Also, when fighting Birdo and Zangief, you have to jump on the things they shoot at you to be able to shoot at the boss.
* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': the Ice Beam and Ice Missile are used to make improvised platforms out of things such as enemies.
** From ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' on, the fight against Kraid always features Samus needing to jump on the things Kraid shoots at her in order to reach his face.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Deadpool}}'', the eponymous character once uses ''[[NoFourthWall his speech bubbles]]'' to cross a river.
* ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'' has Lenneth able to use her crystal shots as platforms to get to higher places.
* The Ice Arrows are used to make platforms on the water in the Great Bay Temple of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask''.
* Similarly, ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' introduces the [[spoiler:freeze blast, a grenade using [[AnIcePerson Mister Freeze's]] cryogenic technology]] to create breakable platforms on the surface of water.
* ''VideoGame/BattleEngineAquila'' lets you land on any surface big enough to hold you, including enemy battleships and aircraft. Ocean levels will require you to do this, since there's nowhere else to land.
* In the obscure game ''Back To Stone'' for the GBA, your basic attacks turn the enemies into stone blocks after defeating them. These can be used as platforms or for weighing down switches.
* To cross water and lava in ''VideoGame/{{Magicka}}'' and ''VideoGame/Magicka2'', the wizards have to freeze it into a platform using the Cold element. Cue a bunch of wizards firing off poorly aimed freezing spells as they slide along the ice.
* ''VideoGame/AxiomVerge'' has the Address Disruptor weapon, a sort of handheld RealityWarper that has strange effects on anything you shoot with it. Using it on certain objects, like rising bubbles, transforms them into glitchy-looking blocks that you can use as platform--this is the only way to traverse parts of certain levels.
* ''VideoGame/Prey2017'' has a glue gun, which you can use to scale heights by shooting glue globs onto the walls and standing on them.
* In ''VideoGame/XMen1993'', Iceman's assist did this: he zoomed across the stage at the same height as the character who summoned him and laid out an ice platform that could be used to cross long chasms (or [[GoodBadBug bypass some boss fights]]).
* ''VideoGame/SpellingJungle'': Wali can drop boulders (in ''Spelling Jungle'') or giant snowballs (in ''Spelling Blizzard'') into the river for a temporary bridge. ''Spelling Blizzard'' also has Ice blocks, which can also be used for this or further moved around the river.
* ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'': Jin's Ice Sword allowed him to freeze water to create platforms when he needs to. Just remember to take off your Crimson Shoes first.
* ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'': At some points in the game, Kirby's squad will hold onto each other and transform into a Friend Bridge, allowing a Waddle Dee carrying a key or some other variety of HelpfulMook to make it across a gap safely.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': Drake can create a path of white runes like a bridge.
* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Asia can create giant sunflowers to use as platforms.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}} [[WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce Alien Force]] - [[WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien Ultimate Alien]]'': Gwen uses mana to create platforms.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and its sequel series ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Earthbenders and Waterbenders (manipulating ice) can do this regularly.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' episode, [[Recap/InvaderZimS1E28Hobo13 "Hobo 13"]], when the group Zim was leading had to cross a cliff, Zim suggests they form a bridge with their bodies; one of them suggests them much safer and simpler method of chopping down a nearby tree and use that as a bridge, [[GeneralFailure but Zim refuses]] [[WeHaveReserves and part of the team end up falling off the cliff as a result.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* This is one of the many jobs of TheEngineer, and the variety of improvised methods available can be truly impressive. Everything from a RopeBridge (at its most basic, a rope or cable strung across the gap) to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascine fascines]] to more sophisticated or specialized methods can be and have been used.
[[/folder]]
----