History Main / ConditionalPowers

** ''VideoGame/ShantaeRiskysRevenge''
** ''VideoGame/ShantaeHalfGenieHero''

The trope can [[TropesAreTools easily be misused]] if a writer isn't careful. Balancing the benefits provided by a condition with the limitations it imposes on an ability is an inexact science. Too great a restriction risks turning the power into am example of BlessedWithSuck or impose a WeaksauceWeakness. Too loose with the condition or if its used inconsistently, it becomes nothing but an InformedFlaw. When done correctly, this trope can add spice to even some of the most basic abilities and hook an audience into some of the most unusual fights. In some cases, it's possible to create an entire power system around conditions, which can result in particularly unpredictable encounters where a battle could take the form of just about anything. If done correctly, even [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway seemingly-useless powers]] can show at they can be [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower great]] when properly use.

* Downplayed in
''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity''. Through dialogue and story decisions, it is possible to acquire various "reputations", such as "Honest", "Rational", "Subtle", etc. The Paladins and the Priests' class powers depend on how well the PlayerCharacter's reputations align with the goals of the Paladin's order or the teachings of the Priest's deity, respectively. While role-playing the "wrong" way won't strip either class of their powers, it significantly diminishes their effectiveness, while role-playing "correctly" gives them a considerable boost.

** Or [[spoiler: Hei who got his powers from his sister. She transfered them to him at the cost of her life. Because of this he also avoids the sociopathic tendencies of the other Contractors.]]

* In ''Manga/TheLawOfUeki'', the God Candidates have, to varying degrees, powers, for which they have to meet special conditions. This includes requirements such as trash small enough to fit in your both hands for [[GreenThumb creating trees]] and control them, holding your breath to turn bath towels into steel or putting your fingers up someones nose to [[UselessSuperpowers turn them ugly and/or fat]].

* Several Detective's Fortes in ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'' require specific conditions to be active on top of Yuma Kokohead's "[[PowerCopying Coalescence]]" where he has to be holding the user's hand if he wants to share their Forte when in use. Halara Nightmare's "Postcognition" for example allows them to see exactly how a crime scene was discovered by a third-party; the victim and culprit don't count and they must be present at said crime scene, which is convenient when solving Chapter 1's "Nail Man" murders which involve months-old cases. This screws over [[spoiler:the Worshipper who had extensive knowledge about the serial killings and was the first one to discover the bodies following him trying to warn the future victims, only to try and frame one he committed himself as a Nail Man murder, but him being the murderer meant that the third Nail Man killing's Postcognition was actually from the perspective of a museum employee accompanying him since the Worshipper knocked over a can of paint after stumbling onto the crime scene right before the former.]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity''. Through dialogue and story decisions, it is possible to acquire various "reputations", such as "Honest", "Rational", "Subtle", etc. The Paladins and the Priests' class powers depend on how well the PlayerCharacter's reputations align with the goals of the Paladin's order or the teachings of the Priest's deity, respectively. While role-playing the "wrong" way won't strip either class of their powers, it significantly diminishes their effectiveness, while role-playing "correctly" gives them a considerable boost.

* In ''Manga/BananaNoNana'' those with powers have a condition they must follow. For example, the protagonist Nana has to eat a banana still in its skin every day and every time she uses her power to manipulate bananas, and her friend Ringo has superhuman leg strength, but can only use it when wearing [[ReluctantFanserviceGirl a ridiculously short mini-skirt]].

* In ''LightNovel/{{Campione}}'', Godou Kusanade has several powers that he's only allowed to activate in specific conditions. He can only use his super strength in situations that would actually require super strength (for example, he could use it if he were fighting a bear, but not if he were fighting an ordinary human). He can only unleash a stallion formed from ThePowerOfTheSun against a target who has committed great sins, etc.
* In the universe of ''LightNovel/AvestaOfBlackAndWhite'' there exists something called a Commandment. Basically what it is is a set of restrictions put on an individual that forbids them from certain actions, lest they suffer divine retribution. The trade-off though is that they gain immense powers related to said restriction. One character for example is forbidden from ever healing her injuries, but gains greater physical strength the more she is wounded in battle as well as a limited form of immortality.
* This is a common drawback among various Stands in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''. Most Stands can at least serve some function on their own, but some with [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower powerful, but esoteric abilities]] only operate under very specific circumstances, requiring the Stand User to manipulate their situation to match those circumstances to use their power.

* ''Literature/{{Lythande}}'' stories. Each Adept of the Blue Star has a DarkSecret, and if an Adept's secret is spoken aloud, he[[note]]The Order does not accept women. It is not impossible, however, that there's an Adept whose Dark Secret is that he is SweetPollyOliver.[[/note]] will lose his powers.
* ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles'': In book 4 (''Talking to Dragons''), Daystar accidentally makes Shiara's powers only work when she is polite. She does not like this one bit.

* In ''Literature/WizardOfThePigeons'' by Creator/MeganLindholm, the wizard and his colleagues each have a condition on which their powers depend. (One, for instance, may not use her powers to help others unless they ask her to.) Some of the wizard's troubles in the book result from him forgetting which of the rules he lives by is ''the'' condition, and which are just rules he's given himself.

* In ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'', Ida's talent is that she can make any idea become true, provided that it's suggested to her by someone who doesn't know that she can do this. This originally even included ''her''... when she didn't know what her talent ''was''. Either way, all she has to do is "agree" with the idea, as long as the idea's source doesn't know about her talent.
* In ''Literature/AFineAndPrivatePlace'' by Creator/PeterSBeagle, Jonathan Rebeck's ability to see ghosts and speak with the raven is connected to his liminal existence in the cemetery; when he leaves at the end of the novel he loses both.
* In ''Literature/SuperPowereds'', the five protagonists are former Powereds (people with superpowers and PowerIncontinence), who have been given control over their abilities through an unspecified procedure, becoming full-fledged Supers. They typically have triggers that activate their powers, although only one was actually described and ends up being a plot point several times. In order to become his SuperpoweredAlterEgo Roy, Hershel has to drink whiskey (which is illegal since he's not 21 yet). He always carries a flask with whiskey on his person, just in case he needs Roy to come out. In ''Year 1'', when Hershel is kidnapped, the bad guys make sure to take away his flask, thus keeping him normal. [[spoiler:Nick shoots him (non-fatally) with a whiskey-coated bullet, thus delivering it directly into his bloodstream]].

* Myth/ClassicalMythology: Antaeus was the son of Poseidon and Gaea, who remained invincible as long as he was in contact with earth. Hercules had to hold him off the ground to defeat him.
* ''Literature/BookOfJudges'': Samson had SuperStrength in exchange for a number of promises to God, including not cutting his hair. When he tells his secret to his lover ([[TooDumbToLive who has already tried to exploit various fake weaknesses]]), Delilah, she betrays him and has him shaved, and he lost his strength. By this point Samson had already broken the other promises he made to God -- the shaving was just the last straw.

* Many magic schools in ''TabletopGame/UnknownArmies'' work this way.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' mages often prevent magic loss by accepting something like this being applied to their magic. They can be as simple as needing to chant while casting spells to needing to not eat anything for 24 hours or needing to be in a forest/city/desert/whatever.

* Many classes in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', especially ones that grant powers with a divine power source. Paladins are arguably the most well-known example; if a paladin knowingly performs any act that isn't LawfulGood, his paladin powers are stripped from him until he atones[[note]]With some variance over editions -- a 3rd Edition Paladin is allowed to do chaotic acts so long as he doesn't make enough of a habit of it to slip away from LawfulGood.[[/note]]. But the Forsaker probably takes the cake as it requires you to destroy magic items daily to maintain your powers.
** Although alignments were mostly removed from 4e, meaning there was no MECHANICAL way for someone to lose their abilities, it's also explicitly stated that all rules are up to GM fiat. Meaning should the paladin of Bahamut not diverge the party from their trek to stop the BigBad because a small contingent of his men are attacking from a village he's not instantly stripped of his powers; should he decide to instead extort huge sums of money from said villagers to protect them, he may suddenly find his charisma-based spells useless and his lower-strength basic attacks pinging futilely off of enemy armor.
* In ''TabletopGame/TheDresdenFiles'' RPG, Items of Power and Sponsored Magic tend to come with restrictions on how and when they can be used. The most obvious for Items of Power is that the item has to be in your possession to use the powers. Some sponsored magics will only work for certain ends--a demon might grant a character a bonus to their spellcasting power, but ''only'' if they're using that spell to kill, for example. In other cases, it's a little more lenient, and will only ''not work'' for certain things--a Sword of the Cross, for example, will work for just about any ass-kicking so long as it's a righteous ass-kicking for the cause of good, but will stop working and drop out of the user's hands of its own accord if the wielder tries to use it for selfish or evil reasons.
* ''TabletopGame/SeventhSea'' has the ability Geas which is given to you by their equivalent of a gypsy. It grants the user an extra experience die, as long as they do not violate the rule that was given to them.

* Part of the shtick in ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' was that Eliza was given the power to talk to animals--and if she revealed the fact to anyone, she would lose the ability.
** Timmy Turner's access to his fairy godparents in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' has the same condition.
* ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'': it's not a direct problem for a witch to reveal his/her witchiness to a mortal, but if that mortal tells another mortal, the witch gets depowered.
* Raven from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' can only manifest her most dramatic magical abilities while feeling particularly strong emotions- something she deliberately ''avoids'', as this also leaves her open to PowerIncontinence and/or possession by her SuperpoweredEvilSide.

[[folder: Fanfiction]]

* This trope dates back to the notion of the ''{{geas}}'', a boon granted by a supernatural being that bound one to certain rules. [[Myth/CelticMythology Cu Chulainn]] was bound by two such laws: one, he could never partake of dog meat, and two, he would always accept hospitality when offered. His downfall came [[LogicBomb when a hag offered him a meal of dog meat,]] forcing him to break his ''geas''.
* A Native American legend features a man who has a "can't be hit by bullets as long as I don't touch metal" power, which was nullified by accidentally touching a ladle.
* [[Myth/GreekMythology Antaeus]] was the son of Poseidon and Gaea, who remained invincible as long as he was in contact with earth. [[Characters/ClassicalMythology Hercules]] had to hold him off the ground to defeat him.
* Samson in the Literature/BookOfJudges had SuperStrength in exchange for a number of promises to God, including not cutting his hair. When he tells his secret to his lover ([[TooDumbToLive who has already tried to exploit various fake weaknesses]]), Delilah, she betrays him and has him shaved, and he lost his strength. By this point Samson had already broken the other promises he made to God -- the shaving was just the last straw.

[[folder: Mythology ]]

* Samson in the book of [[Literature/TheBible Judges]] had SuperStrength in exchange for a number of promises to God, including not cutting his hair. When he tells his secret to his lover ([[TooDumbToLive who has already tried to exploit various fake weaknesses]]), Delilah, she betrays him and has him shaved, and he lost his strength. By this point Samson had already broken the other promises he made to God -- the shaving was just the last straw.

* In ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'', Ida's talent is that she can make any idea become true, provided that it's suggested to her by someone who doesn't know that she can do this.

The trope can [[TropesAreTools easily be misused]] if a writer isn't careful. Balancing the benefits provided by a condition with the limitations it imposes on an ability is an inexact science. Too great a restriction risks turning the power into am example of BlessedWithSuck or impose a WeaksauceWeakness. Too loose with the condition or if its used inconsistently, it becomes nothing but an InformedFlaw. When done correctly, this trope can add spice to even some of the most basic abilities and hook an audience into some of the most unusual fights. In some cases, it's possible to create an entire power system around conditions, which can result in particularly unpredictable encounters where a battle could take the form of just about anything. If done correctly, even [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway seemingly-useless powers]] can show at they can be [HeartIsAnAwesomePower great when properly used]].

{{Alice|AndBob}} has a superpower, but she only gets to keep the power as long as she does (or doesn't do) a specific thing, such as having HealingHands unless she [[ActualPacifist fights in battle]] -- or possibly [[TechnicalPacifist kills]].

If the condition is too restrictive this can fall into BlessedWithSuck or become a WeaksauceWeakness.

* This is a common drawback among various Stands in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', forcing their Stand Users to create situations to activate their Stands.

* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', [[spoiler: All Titan Shifters inherit the Curse of Ymir, which means that they will only live 13 years after activating the power (since that's how long Ymir Fritz, the original Titan Shifter, lived after activating ''her'' power). Also, to use the powers of the Founding Titan correctly, one has to be Ymir Fritz's direct descendant.]]

* This is a common drawback among various Stands in ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure'', forcing their Stand Users to create situations to activate their Stands.

* In ''Literature/TalkingToDragons'' Daystar accidentally makes Shiara's powers only work when she is polite. She does not like this one bit.

* ''Fanfic/SplitSecondMyLittlePony'': Twilight's weapon of choice is the Justice Hammer, a [[ConditionalPowers Conditional Magic]] HardLight warhammer larger than her own body that grows stronger the more advantages she gives to her enemy, thus justifying [[ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy Explaining Her Power To The Enemy.]]

->"No vegan diet, no vegan powers!"

* ''Fanfic/SplitSecond'': Twilight's weapon of choice is the Justice Hammer, a [[ConditionalPowers Conditional Magic]] HardLight warhammer larger than her own body that grows stronger the more advantages she gives to her enemy, thus justifying [[ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy Explaining Her Power To The Enemy.]]

{{Alice|AndBob}} has a superpower, but she only gets to keep the power as long as she does (or doesn't do) a specific thing, such as having HealingHands unless you [[ActualPacifist fight in battle]] -- or possibly [[TechnicalPacifist kill]].

A SuperTrope of VirginPower, where the something is not having sex. Compare to EquivalentExchange, NoManOfWomanBorn And SituationalSword. Contrast PentUpPowerPeril when, instead, you have to use your power regularly or else something bad will happen.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Golden Age Amazons have three such restrictions:

* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', Marinette's earrings let her transform into the superhero Ladybug, but she has to use them to do good. It's not clear what happens if she doesn't.

[[AliceAndBob Alice]] has a superpower, but she only gets to keep the power as long as she does (or doesn't do) a specific thing, such as having HealingHands unless you [[ActualPacifist fight in battle]] -- or possibly [[TechnicalPacifist kill]].

[[folder: Live Action TV]]

** Timmy's access to ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' has the same condition.