History Main / IntrinsicVow

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* In the ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'' episode "Goodbye Stranger," Castiel is BrainwashedAndCrazy and driven to kill Dean Winchester. While he was able to complete the task with thousands of fake Deans in Heaven, once faced with the real thing he was FightingFromTheInside against the control. Dean was able to reach him with an IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight.

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* This is the only way aside from Po's grace to overcome [[spoiler: Leck's lying grace]] in ''Literature/{{Graceling}}''. Queen Ashen is able to resist for her daughter Bitterblue, and Katsa [[spoiler: kills Leck because he was going to reveal the secret of Po's grace. She didn't even remember what the secret ''was'', just that it was Po's and it would hurt him for it to be revealed.]]

** Belkar, under a Charm Person spell, adamantly refuses to track down and kill his teammates, then bring any magic items they had back to Nale, who cast the spell. So Nale changes the wording to include Belkar keeping the items (and singing the complete score to ''Film/MeetMeInStLouis''), and Belkar readily complies.

* ''TabletopGame/DCHeroes''. The Hypnotism power allows the user to implant suggestions in the target's mind. A suggestion will not be carried out if it is something completely against the target's Motivation or belief. However, a clever hypnotist can get around this restriction by implanting suggestions that circumvent the target's beliefs. For example, if the hypnotist wants Franchise/{{Superman}} to attack ComicBook/JimmyOlsen he can first implant a suggestion that Jimmy is actually Darkseid. If this suggestion works, Superman will follow a subsequent suggestion to attack Jimmy because he will believe that Jimmy is Darkseid.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', each Lunar Exalt is mystically bonded to a specific Solar Exalt, and has access to various Charms that let her resist effects that would turn her against her Solar.

* In ''Manga/PandoraHearts'', one episode sees Gil entrapped by a monster capable of controlling people with strings (like puppets, y'know). While it initially manages to make him smack around Oz, his best friend/master whom he's sworn to protect, Oz [[BatmanGambit correctly reasons]] that Gil would never be able to kill him, and literally forces Gil's hand - which causes Gil to break free of the strings long enough to gun down the controller.

[[folder:Fan Fiction ]]

* It's mentioned in ''FanFic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse'' that mind-control spells have a tendency to fail when used to force someone to act against their most fundamental nature. For example, Antithesis refrains from trying to enchant an Ursa Minor because she suspects that doing so would cause her to lose her hold on its Ursa ''Major'' mother. Similarly, even Thrash Metail's mind-control can't make Octavia pass off bad music as good.

* ''Fanfic/TheArithmancer'' is a Literature/HarryPotter fanfic based on the idea of Hermione being a maths genius. In one chapter, she is able to overcome the Imperius Curse (a form of mind control) when told to write 2+2=5.

** In ''Literature/DuneMessiah'', it's revealed that gholas - who are basically resurrected corpses who possess the skills, but not memories, of their original life - can regain their memories if put in a situation like this. The original case involved Duncan Idaho, an extremely loyal follower of the Atreides, being ordered to assassinate Paul, the then-head of the House Atreides.

* ''Literature/TheDarkElfTrilogy'' reveals that Drizzt Do'Urden's father was, like himself, a rare 'Good' Drow Elf. After Drizzt turns his back on his people and escapes from Menzoberranzon, vengeful High Priestesses of Lolth brings his father back from the dead as a sort of semi-zombie - undead, but still possessing the skills of his former life. The reason being, of course, that Drizzt has proven too fearsome a fighter for all their assassins so far, so they figure that bringing back the man who taught him to fight might be their only shot. During the final confrontation between Drizzt and his zombified dad, Pops managed to break free of the priestesses' control for just long enough to give a final farewell to his son, and then [[HeroicSuicide jump into a pool of acid so he wouldn't be able to hurt him]].

* We see this in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' for Arachnos - the main villain group. When you swear your loyalty to [[BigBad Lord Recluse]] they use your own oath to brainwash you to make sure you don't go back on your word. Those in the top ranks like the Arbiters can't betray their oath even if they want to. When the senior most Arbiter is forced by his son to choose between him or Arachnos, the Arbiter gives his son's execution orders because his oath to Arachnos makes him unable to so much as mentally process turning on Arachnos. The mind-set also protects them against possession and extended mind-control.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}: Goliath will protect his clan, whatever it takes and whoever he has to face down. Angela exploits this in "Eye of the Storm" to snap him out of the Eye of Odin's influence.

** Note that Vimes' berserker state specific was brought on by an IntrinsicVow possibly even more binding than ThouShaltNotKill (the Defenseless), one that is demonstrated at the beginning of the book and where the entire Watch will join in to ensure that vow is upheld for fear of the consequences: [[spoiler:Every night at 6 PM sharp, Sam Vimes reads ''Literature/WheresMyCow'' to Young Sam. Period. No mere EldritchAbomination or miles of earth and rock will prevent Young Sam from hearing his father's voice imitating animals, no sir.]]

* In ''Literature/{{Thud}}'', Watch Commander Sam Vimes ends up getting [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by the Summoning Dark, a quasi-demonic ''thing'' of pure vengeance, which was called into the world to avenge the deaths of four dwarfs that had been killed by dwarf grags. We're explicitly told that anyone that's been possessed by the Summoning Dark in the past dies or goes insane, becoming [[TheBerserker berserkers]] that will stop at nothing to carry out their vengeance. Vimes seems about to go the same route-- until he stands before the terrified and helpless grags themselves, at which point he stops himself, because the one thing Sam Vimes will not allow himself to do is commit murder. The strain of stopping himself nearly tore him apart before another Watchman brought him down.
** Note that the berserker state was brought on by an IntrinsicVow possibly even more binding than ThouShaltNotKill (the Defenseless), one that is demonstrated at the beginning of the book and where the entire Watch will join in to ensure that vow is upheld for fear of the consequences: [[spoiler:Every night at 6 PM sharp, Sam Vimes reads ''Literature/WheresMyCow'' to Young Sam. Period. No mere EldritchAbomination or miles of earth and rock will prevent Young Sam from hearing his father's voice imitating animals, no sir.]]
* In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''the Oath of Fëanor operates this way, for the Sons of Fëanor. Except, tragically, it subverts the last part of this trope. They will stop at ''nothing'' to reclaim the Silmarils. Not even ''assaulting a refugee camp and slaughtering other Noldor elves'' which is pretty much the worst atrocity committed by elves, ever. Maglor only finally gives his up after it burns him, because of all the evil he committed to reclaim it. Maedhros however, kills himself instead of giving his up. The third one was taken to Valinor by Eärendil and Elwing.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Haley breaks a paladin out of a Dominate Person spell by tricking him into thinking he had just attempted to kill the lord he had sworn to serve and protect.

** Subverted. [[spoiler:Euphemia]] hesitates and resists heroically when given the order to kill the Japanese, but the geass is too powerful for her willpower to break through it. It should be noted that this is the only time anyone ''ever'' resists one of Lelouch's geasses. People will happily commit suicide without a blink, but she managed to resist for a moment.

* ''ComicBook/{{Wonder Woman|1942}}'': When Hypnota brainwashes ComicBook/SteveTrevor the first time he seems like the perfect mark, but the second time the villain makes a miscalculation and orders him to shoot Diana. He raises the gun, then freezes and lowers it, dizzily coming back to himself. Diana trusted this would happen, saying that Steve will never harm her.