Basic Trope: Whoever possesses the MacGuffin is rightfully the Queen or King.
- Straight: Valiant Sir Bob obtains the Sword of Plot Advancement and becomes King of Troperia. One night while King Bob is sleeping, his manservant Charles steals the sword and is hailed as the new King when everybody else learns of this. A member of King Charles' harem takes the sword and is deemed Queen Alice.
- Exaggerated: Whoever holds the Sword of Plot Advancement gains a Mind Controlling power that forces the people of Troperia to worship them as a deity.
- Downplayed:
- Those who have possessed the Sword of Plot Advancement have the option to run for President/Prime Minister of Troperia.
- Holders of The Sword of Plot Advancement are rightfully dukes and bishops of Troperia.
- Justified:
- The Sword of Plot Advancement is magical. (Or at least thought to be magical.)
- An ancient prophecy foretell that whoever shall possess The Sword of Plot Advancement will save Troperia from certain doom, but the wielder is never specified, so now the Troperians hail whoever simply touches the sword, giving much respect to them and declaring them royalty. But this only extends to the person who has possession of the sword, the second it's out of their grasp, they're nothing again.
- It's a bizarre and obviously ridiculous tradition but nobody dares question it.
- The Sword is the world's most powerful weapon; it's assumed you don't get hold of it unless you're really badass enough (here Asskicking Leads to Leadership) and besides, few would dare to mess with the holder.
- The item in question gives the holder the ability to command the loyalty of those around them, or it's some kind of mind control device.
- The trope applies because Only the Chosen May Wield the Sword, therefore they must be the rightful king or queen.
- Inverted:
- Whoever gets cut by the Sword of Plot Advancement is rightfully king or queen.
- The Sword of Plot Advancement robs Kings and Queens of their titles.
- Subverted:
- Manservant Charles plans to steal the Sword of Plot Advancement knowing that whoever possesses it will be King, but when he grasps the hilt, it electrifies him. Turns out that the Sword of Plot Advancement only works for Sir Bob and those of his family.
- Charles walks into the throne room waving the sword and declaring himself the king. He's thrown into the dungeons on grounds of impersonation.
- Double Subverted: Charles marries Sir Bob's sister, thus becoming family.
- Parodied: Whoever holds the Peanut of Power becomes King of the Squirrel People.
- Zig Zagged: Sir Bob claims the Sword from Dark Lord Phil and becomes the new ruler of Troperia. Charles tries to steal it from him, but he's rebuffed. King Bob is briefly deposed when Mike the Merchant gets the better of him in a duel, but his daughter Alice steals it back when Mike is distracted. Princess Alice is the designated successor and becomes Queen Alice when her father dies ... and she, in turn, must contend with Jane, Moira, and Annie's machinations to try to steal it from her.
- Averted: Troperia has a standard monarchy.
- Enforced: The writers need a conflict to drive the story onward, so they settle on using a MacGuffin that grants the right to rule over a certain nation. This obviously attracts a lot of Villains and the Plot ensues.
- Lampshaded: Sir Bob: "Perhaps a democracy would be a stabler political foundation for your people."
- Invoked: It's the last remaining personal effect of the Founder of the Kingdom. The Troperian people are quite touchy about the lack of 'living history' and cling to this artefact with all their might.
- Exploited: Because everyone and their tapeworm knows what the Sword of Plot Advancement looks like and how effective the monarch of the day is regardless of the Sword, one of two things happens:
- If the monarch is considered strong, he or she publicizes this fact to make him- or herself more powerful.
- If the monarch is considered weak, jealous subjects and advisors feel less shy about trying to steal the Sword.
- Defied: The constitution of Troperia states in no uncertain terms that being the reigning monarch's designated heir (or winning a free and fair election) makes you the head of government and/or state.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Implied: The ruler is dressed little differently than any of his or her underlings, except for the Sword of Plot Advancement on his or her hip.
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