With Great Power Comes Great Insanity

Basic Information

This Trope is very common to horror and speculative fiction. A character who gains power (be that magical power, superpowers, genetic augmentation, or just expanded scientific knowledge) is driven crazy by it.

See Also

• A God Am I
• Cosmic Horror
• Evil Feels Good
• Gone Horribly Wrong
• Heroic Willpower
• Mad Scientist
• Power Born Of Madness
• Psycho Serum
• Science Related Memetic Disorder
• There Are No Therapists
• These Are Things Man Was Not Meant To Know

Sources

Bibliography

1. TV Tropes Wiki

Game and Story Use

• Conveniently, this justifies the Big Bad Evil Guy being crazy.
  • …And the crazy people being powerful. Take precautions if you live near the Asylum.
• Can serve as a way to keep certain powers in check. Oh, sure, you can use that big continent destroying power to mop up all the villains, but it'll probably drive you insane in the process…
  • In some campaigns and game systems, a character who goes nutso becomes an NPC. Players may need to tread with caution in the halls of power.