Tropes about skills and all the varied and weird ways in which they are learned.
Compare School Tropes (for learning skills), Levels and Experience Tropes.
Categories:
What You Know:
- This Index Knows What It's Talking About (for knowledgable people)
- Master of the Index (for people who are good at what they do)
- Adaptational Skill: A skill a character didn't have in a previous adaptation.
- Adaptational Weapon Swap: A character has a different weapon in an adaptation.
- All-Accessible Magic: Anyone can learn how to use magic.
- Always Know a Pilot
- Becoming the Boast
- Boxing Lessons for Superman: A superpowered character learns mundane fighting techniques.
- Brick Break: Martial artists break bricks with their bare hands.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: Superhuman abilities through mundane training.
- Chekhov's Skill: A new skill becomes a Chekhov's Gun.
- Clown School
- Demolitions Expert
- Emotion Suppression: Someone suppresses or erases their emotions with drugs, special training or other phlebotinum.
- Enlightenment Superpowers: Superpowers are available to anyone who achieves the necessary level of spiritual enlightenment.
- Fantastic Fighting Style
- Fighting Fingerprint: Fighting style exposes a Secret Identity.
- Fluffy Tamer
- Gentle Touch vs. Firm Hand
- The Greatest Style
- I Know Madden Kombat: Fighting styles based on non-combat sports.
- I Know Mortal Kombat: Fighting styles based on videogames.
- Ki Manipulation
- Look What I Can Do Now!
- Master of Your Domain: Can control everything related to one's body.
- The Medic
- Meditation Powerup
- My Kung-Fu Is Stronger Than Yours
- New Ability Addiction
- Le Parkour
- The Power of Acting: Acting treated as a superpower.
- Skill Scores and Perks
- Strong and Skilled
- Suddenly Always Knew That
- Switch-Out Move
- Unique Protagonist Asset
- Crazy-Prepared
- Crisis Makes Perfect
- Deadly Training Area
- Die or Fly: Dormant superpowers come to light under extreme circumstances.
- Don't Think, Feel: An 11th-Hour Superpower is unlocked by feeling.
- Dumbass No More: The Ditz suddenly becomes smart.
- Had to Be Sharp
- Hands-On Approach
- Hard Work Fallacy
- How Do I Shot Web?
- I Need You Stronger
- Imposed Handicap Training
- Improvised Training
- Incompletely Trained
- Kingpin in His Gym
- Learning to Ride a Bike: Children riding a bike for the first time as a plot point.
- A Lesson in Defeat
- Lotus Position
- A Master Makes Their Own Tools
- Meditating Under a Waterfall
- Mentor Archetype: Their role is to introduce a new skill or sharpen the current skills of their student.
- Money Is Experience Points
- Outclassed at the Gym
- Physical Fitness Punishment
- Powerful, but Incompetent: A character whose raw power is useless because they lack intelligence.
- Prisons Are Gymnasiums
- Raw Eggs Make You Stronger
- Rival Dojos: A pair of rival schools of martial arts, run by a pair of masters who have been feuding for years.
- Shooting Lessons From Your Parents
- Simulated Urban Combat Area
- Sink or Swim Mentor: This mentor won't go easy on you just because you're a novice.
- The Spartan Way
- Super Fly Reflexes
- Super Swimming Skills
- Talent vs. Training
- Talented, but Trained
- Taught by Experience
- Taught by Television
- Teach Me How To Fight
- Tech Points
- Time to Unlock More True Potential
- Took a Level in Badass
- Trainee from Hell
- Training from Hell
- Training Montage
- Training the Gift of Magic
- Training the Pet: A plot focusing on training an unruly pet.
- Ultimate Final Exam
- Uncertified Expert: An expert or veteran turns out not to be officially qualified for what they do.
- Victor Gains Loser's Powers
- Virtual Training Simulation: Learning skills in a virtual evironment.
- Wax On, Wax Off
- Weapons of Their Trade
- When You Snatch the Pebble: A final test that looks easier than it really is.
- Working Out Their Emotions
- Workout Fanservice
- Workplace-Acquired Abilities
- Your Eyes Can Deceive You
- You Are Not Ready
- You Shouldn't Know This Already (regardless of the skill, there has to be learning before use).
- Zen Slap
Shortcuts/Cheating:
- Adaptational Badass
- Drunken Master: The more you drink, the more competent you become.
- Hard Work Hardly Works
- Instant Expert
- Mooching Master
- Opponent Switch
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Awakening incredible power through massive emotional distress.
- Xenafication
