Plot Armor

Not to be confused with taking the script and wrapping it around your body.

When someone, often a main character, is saved from failure by suspiciously convenient events. This UnTrash is what protects a plot-important character from a failure that they deserved or logically should've gotten. It's a kind of Plot Saver that keeps the storyline from heading in the wrong direction. Ex Machina UnTrashes such as Plot Ex Machina go hand in hand with Plot Armor, but non-Ex Machina UnTrashes like Set Destiny can be considered Plot Armor as well. Any UnTrash nested under Plot Armor shields the playing character from failure, injury, or death. What makes Plot Armor such an Eye Roll UnTrash for many is how it's obviously meant for the main characters. If a secondary character tried to rely on it, they would fall flat on their face since they aren't as important to the plot.

Plot Armor comes into play in many types of situations, and in just about all of them, it's an unwelcomed UnTrash by audiences. One of the most common times it shows up is when the Protagonist is on the line between life and death. This is more so the case of the Hero than the Main, but if the latter finds themselves in a high-stakes position after a Long Story, they may begin praying spacetime is with them. Plot Armor usually swoops in to save the Protagonist in the form of one of their friends, though as just stated, spacetime can arrange the environment in a way that conveniences the person in danger. Plot Armor is a tool to help the Main Cast when the threat of danger is much lower, such as sports. A character, probably the Main, who has to secure the winning point rarely has the natural competence to do it. Rather than going in all alone, they can summon the aid of Plot Armor to lend them God-Send Skills. What would have been a 1 is now transformed into a 6 all so the Main Team can win the Big Game.

The protagonists don't have much to worry about in terms of winning since Good Always Prevails. Even if it would make the story more interesting to see them lose ever, they hide behind that UnTrash like a wall from failure. This success rate is intensified to overpowered degrees once Plot Armor is involved. In several cases, the reason Good Always Prevails is because roles aligned with good have access to Dirty Tricks like Plot Armor. The Hero and Superhero may own superpowers that have been deactivated or are on very long cooldown times. This nerfs them to balance their power, but the nerf means nothing if they still get the chance to use it when it matters most. For those without extraordinary abilities, they can still have the power to escape when they're Three Seconds Away from death. The Protagonist often has a reliable ledge, platform, or other out-of-the-way spot to jump or run to just as the Killer Boulder rolls in to crush them.