History Main / LimitedMoveArsenal

* The Franchise/{{Tales|Series}} games, starting with ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Phantasia]]'' have the main character equip four skills to use in battle among the dozens of techniques they learn. With the Combo Command item, they can use any of these by inputting a series of fighting game-style commands. Some of the games have late-game items that can double the number of attacks you can equip at a time, with the second set being available by holding down a button.

* You can only have 20 skills on any given character or item in PhantomBrave. To learn more, you need to have a Witch remove older ones beforehand.

* Immortals in ''LostOdyssey'' can learn ''every skill in the game'' (except enemy-only skills), but can only use a limited number at a time, depending on the amount of "slot seeds" they've used and a few skills that give extra slots. The maximum number of skills the game allows per immortal is 30, but unless you want to end up with a severely unbalanced party due to using all the Slot Seeds on a single immortal, you're most likely to end up with 28 or 29 useable slots per character due to the need to equip skills that increase the number of available slots, although you can still give them up to 3 accessories on top of that.

** The third game by default only lets you map certain skills to LMB, RMB, and 1-4 keys, though this can be disabled in the Options menu. You're still limited to one skill per category.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterRancher 1'' and ''2''

* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou''.
* ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier'' and ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier2''.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterRancher 3''
* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games have this. Each Demon/Persona can only have so many skills.
* [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=240 Referenced]] in ''Webcomic/VGCats'' comic.

* The ''SDGundamGGeneration'' series limited mecha to four attacks until ''G Generation Spirits'', which upped the number to six.

* [[EnforcedTrope Enforced]] in ''MagicTheGathering''. There are five colors of magic, and each one represents a philosophy or ideology and thus specializes in particular things. While it is possible to run a deck with all five colors, the result is CoolButInefficient, as the colors of mana you have on table will rarely match the color of the spells you have in hand. Until you get used to the {{metagame}}, it's much wiser to run decks of two colors or even one.

* Invoker from ''Dota2'' is an incredibly versatile hero thanks to his ability to combine his standard abilities into new ones, possessing a whopping 11 active skills, surpassing the 4 skills that almost every other hero has. However, he can only store two at a time, and is restricted from invoking new abilities whenever he wants due to cooldown and mana cost. While this restriction diminishes as he gains levels, having and invoking the right spells at the right time and remembering the combination for his spell is key to playing Invoker successfully.

* ''LegendOfMana'', with separate pools for combat maneuvers and special attacks.

Implementations vary. In some games, the player is forced to more or less permanently forget old skills to learn new ones. In others, the skills are just put away and may be "installed" and "uninstalled" at will, as if they were computer programs.

* GodHand gives the player a limited number of slots for Gene's moves. It can be increased by purchasing Items from the shop.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', with a system that probably formed the basis for the one in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', with regards to passive skills.

** The first game forces anything that isn't swinging your weapon into the RMB spell slot. Particularly annoying if you're playing a Sorcerer with a dozen spells to switch between. Carrying a staff with spell charges? That takes up the Spell slot too, even though you probably don't want to use it to hit people.
** The second game is a bit more lenient, as you can map most non-Passive skills to both the LMB and RMB. The game also lets one assign skills to quick keys (function keys F1-F8), but these only ready skills; actually activating them still requires a press of the slot's button.

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' does this a lot. In addition to the above ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI I]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII III]]'' had limited spell slots (III three also restricting thing based on job), ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII VII]]'' tied abilities to items (which in turn had slots dependent on equipment), ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII VIII]]'' has limited command and passive slots (the abilities themselves gained from summons), and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2 X-2]]'' only lets you use the abilities of any one dresssphere at a time (with the ones you can switch to limited by plate you equip). Yeah, this is kind of ''Final Fantasy'''s CharacteristicTrope.
** Then again, some of the games in the franchise avert this trope completely. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' allow every character to learn and equip every skill (with few exceptions), though X does allow one to equip only four weapon abilities each for offense and defense.

* ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' presents a somewhat annoying case, in that one can only have two skills ready at any one time. For passive skills like Paladin auras, this makes sense, but for normal attacks and spells it's very limiting. The game also lets one assign skills to quick keys, but these only ready skills, actually activating them requires a press of the slot's button.

** Junichi Masuda, game director and one of the composers for the ''Pokémon'' games, [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pokémon_Ruby_and_Sapphire_beta#Limitations once stated that during the development]] of ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'', two things brought under consideration were potentially changing the number of moves that a Pokémon can learn and the number of Pokémon that a player can have with him/her at a time while traveling; however, none of these have been altered as of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''.
** The competitive Pokemon scene shows that this definitely falls under the "too easy" clause mentioned above. The more moves a pokemon has available, the more roles [[SchrodingerFu it can potentially fulfill]], but the four move limit prevents any one 'mon from being too versatile in combat.

The brain is a remarkable device. With training, it is capable of processing and accumulating an essentially unlimited number of skills.

* ''MonsterRancher 3''

**

** Then again, some of the games in the franchise avert this trope completely. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' allow every character to learn and equip every skill (with few exceptions), though X does allow one to equip only four abilities each for offense and defense.

* The first two ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' games. You can only equip a limited amount of badges. You can increase the amount with level up bonuses. The first one had a cap of 30 badge points, while the second ignores the cap and still allows you to get bonuses after that.

* ''MonsterRancher 1'' and ''2''
* [[Franchise/TalesSeries The Tales games]], starting with ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Phantasia]]'' have the main character equip four skills to use in battle among the dozens of techniques they learn. With the Combo Command item, they can use any of these by inputting a series of fighting game-style commands. Some of the games have late-game items that can double the number of attacks you can equip at a time, with the second set being available by holding down a button.

* ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier'' and ''SagaFrontier2''.
* ''GuildWars''
** Specifically (if you've got all the campaigns), your skill inventory contains what you've learned of the average of 90 skills of your primary and secondary professions that you've bought, plus what you've captured of the ~25 elite skills for each profession, plus up to ~50 reputation-based PlayerVersusEnvironment only skills. And to make your choices larger, you can learn to change your secondary profession at will. You can equip: '''eight skills'''. Including only one elite and no more than three [[PlayerVersusEnvironment PvE]].

* ''FinalFantasy'' does this a lot. In addition to the above ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI I]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII III]]'' had limited spell slots (III three also restricting thing based on job), ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII VII]]'' tied abilities to items (which in turn had slots dependent on equipment), ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII VIII]]'' has limited command and passive slots (the abilities themselves gained from summons), and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2 X-2]]'' only lets you use the abilities of any one dresssphere at a time (with the ones you can switch to limited by plate you equip). Yeah, this is kind of ''FinalFantasy'''s CharacteristicTrope.

* Referenced in [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=240 this]] VGCats comic.

Comes in two flavors:
# Characters have an inventory of skills, out of which they can "equip" a limited number to be available to them in combat, as if they were items. You may or may not be allowed to change your setup mid-battle.
# Characters are allowed to know only a limited number of skills at any time. When they learn new skills, they are forced to [[LaserGuidedAmnesia forget others to make room]].

!!Examples of Type 1

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' is type 1 for melee. You can change the skills mid battle, but unlike spells (where the entire list can be activated via menu) you can only activate melee techs from a shortcut.
** And even spells can only be menu-activated on computer-controlled characters.
** [[TalesSeries The Tales games]], starting with [[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Phantasia]] have the main character equip four skills to use in battle among the dozens of techniques they learn. With the Combo Command item, they can use any of these by inputting a series of fighting game-style commands. Some of the games have late-game items that can double the number of attacks you can equip at a time, with the second set being available by holding down a button.

* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' for humans limits the human character to a set number of spells/skills and support abilities, and you can only have one of any given ability between all of them. Demons are type 2.
* ''FinalFantasy'' does this a lot. In addition to the above ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI I]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII III]]'' had limited spell slots (III three also restricting thing based on job), ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII VII]]'' tied abilities to items (which in turn had slots dependent on equipment), ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII VIII]]'' has limited command and passive slots (the abilities themselves gained from type 2 summons), and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2 X-2]]'' only lets you use the abilities of any one dresssphere at a time (with the ones you can switch to limited by plate you equip). Yeah, this is kind of ''FinalFantasy'''s CharacteristicTrope.

* ''BreathOfFire: Dragon Quarter'': 3 skills of each of 3 levels. Fewer on some weapons.
* ''EternalSonata'' initially limits you to having one active special move in light and one in shadow. Later the limit is increased to two of both.
* In ''InfiniteUndiscovery'', battle skills are limited to two slots. Even for the (friendly) AI characters who are not restricted by the lack of controller buttons. Magic spells are not limited.

* ''{{Dubloon}}''
* ''ValkyrieProfile'' and its sequels. While the particular mechanics were different in each game, you could only equip a limited number of skills at once, although each character could potentially learn every non-weapon skill and each skill related to weapons that they could equip.
* In ''EpicBattleFantasy'', characters have both moves unique to them and others that are available to all but can only be given to one character. As of 4, you can have a character forget a common move so another can learn it.

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!!Examples of Type 2

** With the exception of ''DigitalDevilSaga'', which was type 1.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' is also type 2 as most moves/spells come in pairs and you can only know one of them at a time (for example, Genis's Thunder Blade and Spark Wave) depending on you exsphere configuration. (barring glitches).

** [[TalesSeries The Tales games]], starting with [[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Phantasia]] have the main character equip four skills to use in battle among the dozens of techniques they learn. With the combo command item, they can use any of these by inputting a series of fighting game-style commands.

* Immortals in ''LostOdyssey'' can learn ''every skill in the game'' (except enemy-only skills), but can only use a limited number at a time, depending on the amount of "slot seeds" they've used and a few skills that give extra slots.