Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context PlayingWith / WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity

Go To

1'''Basic Trope''': Great power does bad things to one's sanity.
2* '''Straight''': Bob gets ahold of the ArtifactOfDoom, and his continual usage of it ends up giving him a [[AGodAmI god complex]] and makes him much more erratic and paranoid.
3* '''Exaggerated''':
4** All wizards and practitioners of magic are mentally unstable.
5** Bob puts on the ArtifactOfDoom and immediately turns into an OmnicidalManiac.
6** AlmightyIdiot
7* '''Downplayed''': Bob gets a little careless of collateral damage after acquiring the AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome, but that's it.
8* '''Justified''':
9** The ArtifactOfDoom's powers are so evil that [[BadPowersBadPeople only people with a few screws loose to begin with would seriously consider using it]]. No matter how good their MaskOfSanity was beforehand, when they ''do'' use the artifact, [[ItGetsEasier constant fulfillment of their worst and most damaging desires]] causes them start sliding down the slippery slope ''really quickly''.
10** Alternately, said ArtifactOfDoom is an ArtifactOfDoom specifically because it has the side effect of driving its users insane.
11** The ArtifactOfDoom is also SealedEvilInACan; it hosts an ancient evil spirit which slowly takes over its user with continued use.
12** Bob is so fearful of having the ArtifactOfDoom stolen from him, or simply losing it, thereby depriving him of its power, that it drives him paranoid.
13* '''Inverted''':
14** Bob gets BroughtDownToNormal and undergoes SanityStrengthening.
15** The magical device only works with sane people, any acts that society would consider "insane" by the broadest of definitions cause the device to shut down, and [[SanityStrengthening Bob and everybody around him becomes more sane the longer they have the device]]. It is the most extreme example of "SanityHasAdvantages" that magic can devise.
16* '''Subverted''': At first it seems that the ArtifactOfDoom is [[SanitySlippage doing bad things to Bob's sanity]], but then it turned out that something else unrelated to Bob's new power was the cause.
17* '''Double Subverted''': However, the ArtifactOfDoom was enhancing the psychological damage from that other source and making sure it was always at the forefront of Bob's mind.
18* '''Parodied''':
19** Bob is looking forward to getting the ArtifactOfDoom, because he's always wanted a chance to go mad with power.
20** Everyone repeatedly warns Bob that using the ArtifactOfDoom will cause him to develop a "serious mental condition" that he will never be able to fix. Said condition is an aversion to seafood.
21* '''Zig Zagged''': Bob gets a new power and undergoes SanitySlippage, but then he gets therapy and and his mind is restored, only for him to become incredibly overconfident in his power.
22* '''Averted''': Whatever new artifact or power Bob is using has no effect on his mental state.
23* '''Enforced''': The writer wants Bob to make a FaceHeelTurn. Bob has previously demonstrated a weakness to temptations of power, so what better way to do that then to have him jump at the chance to get the ArtifactOfDoom, and then be corrupted by it?
24* '''Lampshaded''': "Bob sure has become more unstable since finding that AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome."
25* '''Invoked''': ???
26* '''Exploited''': Bob's nemesis Alice makes sure to put Bob in the path of a power-granting but mental instability-inducing artifact, as SanityHasAdvantages, and Bob's best weapon against her was his mind.
27* '''Defied''': Bob learns that using this power could have negative effects on his sanity and decides that it isn't worth it. He leaves the power alone.
28* '''Discussed''': "Bob, all this power may be tempting, but it isn't good for you. I really don't want to have to lock you in a mental institution because of what it will do to you."
29* '''Conversed''': "Mental instability is a common side effect of incredible power."
30* '''Implied''': Several previous owners of the ArtifactOfDoom went insane, but it's not quite sure whether it was the result of the artifact, stress from their situation, or if they were [[MaskOfSanity already nuts and really good at hiding it]].
31* '''Deconstructed''': [[LogicalExtreme All]] kind of powers make you go AxCrazy, due to all the crazy people with powers the setting becomes a CrapsackWorld, the story's {{aesop}} is that the world would be better without superpowered people.
32* '''Played For Laughs''': After discovering the ArtifactOfDoom, Bob behaves in a very off-the-wall manner.
33* '''Played For Drama''': Bob knows that the ArtifactOfDoom will damage his mind, but the GodzillaThreshold has been passed and it really is his only choice.
34----
35Back to WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity
36----
37%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:

Top