CthulhuSpren Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 I'm just curious about what has been said, if anything, about how heavy one is, because the swords are around 6ft long and a lot wider than a normal sword, which logically seems too heavy to wield normally, which (i guess) is where Shardplate comes in, as -as far as I know anyway- they were made for each other, however people can wield them without any Plate as well, and they don't seem to be the most physically strong of men (hanavar, valam), and if theyre fuelled by investiture to be lightweight, then where is that coming from? Although, heralds did have honourblades before there was Plate, I think anyhow.... Can someone say if this has been answered anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vander Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 As far as I know, they're NOT fuelled by investiture. I always assumed it's because of the fact that Shardblades are quite literally spren and as such quite different from regular metals. Though, I guess it COULD be said that it's because of investiture, considering the above... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flying_shadow Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 It was mentioned in the book that it weighs less than a sword its size should, but it's still pretty heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vander Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) Yeah, it did. I think when Bridge 4 first started training with and against Shardblades. (Under Zahel.) Edited November 29, 2015 by Vander Honorsworn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamEternal Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) It was mentioned in the book that it weighs less than a sword its size should, but it's still pretty heavy. Not really "pretty heavy". It is said they weight about the same as a normal sword, and probably not a greatsword, since they can be wielded one handed with little trouble. They probably weight 4lbs at most, maybe less. It is just that the bridgemen expected them to be as light as feathers and distant dreams. Edited November 29, 2015 by CognitivePulsePattern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxal Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 I had wonder how much it weighted especially when compared to a regular sword. It is said to be lighter and despite being massive and gigantic, we see individuals fight with them without wearing any Plate at all. It is also said in book learning to fight without Shards once used to them was difficult. I had wonder if part of the difficulty was relearning to yield a heavier greatsword without the strength of the Plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamEternal Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) I had wonder how much it weighted especially when compared to a regular sword. It is said to be lighter and despite being massive and gigantic, we see individuals fight with them without wearing any Plate at all. It is also said in book learning to fight without Shards once used to them was difficult. I had wonder if part of the difficulty was relearning to yield a heavier greatsword without the strength of the Plate. I think the difficulty comes from the difference in how they are balanced, since shardblades are less dense and bigger, and how you must be more careful when using a normal, destructible sword, since you can't just smash it against the hard parts of enemy armor, block with the edge, or not worry about hitting terrain or getting the blade stuck in a dead enemy's flesh.EDIT: plus, shardplates make their wearers stronger, faster and thougher in a way not too different from Allomantic pewter. Losing that would take a long time getting used to. Edited November 29, 2015 by CognitivePulsePattern 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxal Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 I think the difficulty comes from the difference in how they are balanced, since shardblades are less dense and bigger, and how you must be more careful when using a normal, destructible sword, since you can't just smash it against the hard parts of enemy armor, block with the blade, or not worry about hitting terrain or getting the blade stuck in a dead enemy's flesh. Yeah, I had wondered about these things as well... What makes a Shardblade deadly is the fact they cannot be parried: one struck and you are dead. Fighting with one is essentially cutting through enemies like a knife into butter. It must be hard to relearn how to take several hits to an opponent before bringing him down, to not let yourself being surrounded as without a Plate, you are vulnerable, to relearn how to protect your own limbs.... The fighting must also be more... gored... with blood and flesh splashing all around while fighting with a Blade is "cleaner". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oversleep Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 If you've trained all of your life with a longsword, then pick up something that looks like it has two or three times as much steel to it, you expect it to weigh more. Not less.I provide a quote from Zahel! And another one. From the way the stories are told, I thought it wouldn't have any weight at all. Like it would be as light as a breeze. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CthulhuSpren Posted November 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) Alright, must have missed that, thanks for the clarification Just out of curiosity, how much does Nightblood weigh? Edited November 29, 2015 by CthulhuSpren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamEternal Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 Alright, must have missed that, thanks for the clarification Just out of curiosity, how much does Nightblood weigh? If I remember well, he weights slightly more than he should, although that may be because of the metal sheat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CthulhuSpren Posted November 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 If I remember well, he weights slightly more than he should, although that may be because of the metal sheat. Relative to a Shardblade its size, or relative to a normal non-invested sword its size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamEternal Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 (edited) Relative to a Shardblade its size, or relative to a normal non-invested sword its size? Normal sword. If my brain didn't make it all up, it was described in Warbreaker. Since Nightblood is a big-ish sword, at least a-hand-and-a-half, I think it probably weights close to 6lbs, if we want to keep things realistic. Most medieval swords weighted 4.5lbs at most. Edited November 29, 2015 by CognitivePulsePattern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moogle Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) Alright, must have missed that, thanks for the clarification Just out of curiosity, how much does Nightblood weigh? Nightblood, as a corrupted Shardblade, is much heavier than it should be (relative to a sword of its size). I'll try and find the WoB which explicitly contrasts Shardblades lightness vs. Nightblood's heaviness... Edit: Q: Why are shardblades unnaturally light and Nightblood unnaturally heavy? A: (I feel) he didn't really answer it directly, but basically it's because Nightblood is basically what Shardblades would be if they were "broken." It has to do why Nightblood leaks black smoke that falls down, as opposed to white mist that floats up, and things like this. They are built on the same principles, but in some ways opposites. (source) Edited November 30, 2015 by Ookla the Moonless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ardjet Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 A quote from when Dalinar was talking to Renarin in The Way of Kings Chpater 18("Highprince of War"): "My blood weakness-""Won't matter a bit if we get you into a set of Plate and give you a Blade," Dalinar said. "The armor makes any man strong, and a Shardblade is nearly as light as air itself." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamEternal Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 A quote from when Dalinar was talking to Renarin in The Way of Kings Chpater 18("Highprince of War"): Dalinar was probably exagerating. I trust the Zahel/Bridgemen scene more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ardjet Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 Dalinar was probably exagerating. I trust the Zahel/Bridgemen scene more. Hate to be That Guy, but does anyone have a quote from Zahel about Shardblade weight? I'd just feel more certain with scripture, and also Dalinar isn't known for flavourful exaggeration in that sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sovereign Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) Hate to be That Guy, but does anyone have a quote from Zahel about Shardblade weight? I'd just feel more certain with scripture, and also Dalinar isn't known for flavourful exaggeration in that sense. Zahel Quote: If you've trained all of your life with a longsword, then pick up something that looks like it has two or three times as much steel to it, you expect it to weigh more, Not less. Edit: Oversleep beat me to it. Edited November 30, 2015 by Iron Eyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glaedr Firnen Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 (edited) See my theory about the reason why shardplate and shardblades are so light. And no, it's not because Spoiler Shardblades are literally spren. Edit: This is probably a thread necro, but I don't really care. I had something I wanted to add, really badly, so I did. Edited March 23, 2019 by Glaedr Firnen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calderis Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 7 minutes ago, Glaedr Firnen said: See my theory about the reason why shardplate and shardblades are so light. And no, it's not because Reveal hidden contents Shardblades are literally spren. Edit: This is probably a thread necro, but I don't really care. I had something I wanted to add, really badly, so I did. It is a necro... And we have an answer... Quote Herowannabe I noticed that shardblades are unnaturally light but Nightblood is unnaturally heavy. Brandon Sanderson That is correct. Herowannabe Care to expound on that? Brandon Sanderson Nightblood is built around the same principles as shardblades, if shardblades were... broken? I mean he is-- You'll notice dark smoke that goes down rather than light smoke that goes up, and things like this. So, yeah, they are built on the same principles but in some ways opposites. Firefight release party (Jan. 5, 2015) It's the nature of the Investiture that they're composed of. And this WoB is older than the necroed thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 14 minutes ago, Glaedr Firnen said: See my theory about the reason why shardplate and shardblades are so light. And no, it's not because Reveal hidden contents Shardblades are literally spren. Edit: This is probably a thread necro, but I don't really care. I had something I wanted to add, really badly, so I did. Hi, it would probably be useful if when you necro you link to your theory in said necro if you wanted to say it so badly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glaedr Firnen Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 (edited) As I posted it, I started to. And then I realized that I hadn't actually written it out on this site. I wrote it up and posted it, here's the link. Feel free to submit any ideas! Edit: And of course, in my excitement, I still forgot the link. Here it is for REAL this time. Edited March 23, 2019 by Glaedr Firnen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karger Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 Perhaps shadblades weigh what the spren or radiants consider to be optimal. In fact it is possible that the bearer determines the weight of the blade unconsciously when bonding the spren or that the spren adjusts its weight to the holder's individual needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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