Radiant or Voidbringer

[Pathfinder]

Keeping with some other posts regarding asking which powers you would like, I am offering a narrower choice. Which power system would you rather? Radiant or voidbringer?

(disclaimer: Forget involving Odium, and being "the enemy". Just looking at the pros and cons of the powers, which would you prefer. Also I know there is a theory going around that the powers we have seen the voidbringers use so far, is not voidbinding. Not discussing that. Just using the term voidbringers for expediency sake. Also to level the playing field a bit, let us discount sprenblades. We are comparing purely the way the power suite is used)

 

Pros and Cons of Each

Radiant:

Pros: Gets two surges. Can use as much stormlight as they have access to, to result in greater and more sudden effects. 

Cons: Limited use based on resource availability. Can burn through resource relatively very quickly and then be powerless. Short duration, so more limited in personal utility day to day. 

 

Voidbringer:

Pros: Almost unlimited usage duration. Near constant gravitation, illumination, cohesion, etc. The fused that fly sit, or relax in the air. The cohesion fused makes random tools to assist in working, while also able to create weapons and armor. Personal utility theoretically limitless day to day in the right hands.

Cons: Gets only one surge. Relatively limited use of said surge (cohesion seemingly only affects user's body or decreased utility on external uses, illumination also seems to only work on the user's body or decreased utility on external uses, slower acceleration via gravitation and external use is more difficult (see Moash)) 

[Nuatoma]

Guess I'd rather have the power with the more upside and higher ceiling.  Kind of like I'd rather have the best team in the playoffs rather than a consistent team that plays great during the regular season but doesn't have an extra gear in the more important games.

[Karger]

I don't think we know the Voidbringer powers that well.  Just based on your description I would choose Voidbringer though.

[Pathfinder]

1 hour ago, Nuatoma said:

Guess I'd rather have the power with the more upside and higher ceiling.  Kind of like I'd rather have the best team in the playoffs rather than a consistent team that plays great during the regular season but doesn't have an extra gear in the more important games.

Interesting way of putting it. Honestly I am having trouble deciding myself. On one had having two powers to play with sounds better, but on the other, being able to make one power basically "normal" as in can use so often it becomes fully part of my life is also appealing. 

34 minutes ago, Karger said:

I don't think we know the Voidbringer powers that well.  Just based on your description I would choose Voidbringer though.

Yeah, I feel with voidbringer powers (as presented in this thread), would lend to more utility as we see with the fused. Relaxing in midair while reading. Always having whatever tool you need in the moment right on hand. Being able to change your appearance in a moments notice whenever. Potentially short teleports like nightcrawler. Continual healing like regrowth (though stronger since voidbringers can heal with voidlight). And so on. 

Edited February 21, 2020 by Pathfinder

[SwordNimiForPresident]

Voidbringers cannot be Bondsmiths which makes my choice pretty easy.

[+Harrycrapper]

Do we know which surge the Fused do not have access to? Been about wondering that.

[Nuatoma]

29 minutes ago, Pathfinder said:

Interesting way of putting it. Honestly I am having trouble deciding myself. On one had having two powers to play with sounds better, but on the other, being able to make one power basically "normal" as in can use so often it becomes fully part of my life is also appealing. 

I guess it would depend on how you live your life.  I think I made my choice assuming I'd be fighting other people with it, but that's not necessarily the case.  In everyday life, voidbringer light might be more useful actually.  But if you are competing directly with the two powers, probably radiant.  Also, assuming this is on Roshar, I feel stormlight would get renewed often enough that I'd have enough.  Just gotta make sure I have a good job I guess.

[Pathfinder]

56 minutes ago, Harrycrapper said:

Do we know which surge the Fused do not have access to? Been about wondering that.

For now it is RAFO, though there is another WoB that I am having trouble locating at this time that says as @SwordNimiForPresident said, that there is not a bondsmith analogue among the fused, so theoretically the missing surge would either be adhesion or cohesion. Considering I believe the fused that makes weapons and tools with his carapace is cohesion (though I could be totally wrong), then potentially the missing surge would be adhesion. 

 

Pagerunner (paraphrased)

Which Surge is missing from the Fused repertoire?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

RAFO.

Skyward Houston signing (Nov. 19, 2018)

 

49 minutes ago, Nuatoma said:

I guess it would depend on how you live your life.  I think I made my choice assuming I'd be fighting other people with it, but that's not necessarily the case.  In everyday life, voidbringer light might be more useful actually.  But if you are competing directly with the two powers, probably radiant.  Also, assuming this is on Roshar, I feel stormlight would get renewed often enough that I'd have enough.  Just gotta make sure I have a good job I guess.

All good points. If, and this is a big if, I am correct regarding how the surges for the fused work regarding transportation, then I would lean myself towards radiant. I would rather save up stormlight and use transportation to (potentially) teleport to a far greater distance, than only have mini hops. 

[SwordNimiForPresident]

@Pathfinder wouldn’t it be Tension and Adhesion? I could be wrong.

[Pathfinder]

1 minute ago, SwordNimiForPresident said:

@Pathfinder wouldn’t it be Tension and Adhesion? I could be wrong.

Nope, you are totally right. Willshapers get cohesion. While Stonewards are the ones that get both Tension and Cohesion. Guess I pulled a Stormfather lol. 

Edited February 21, 2020 by Pathfinder

[FantasyFanatic]

If you choose Radiant do you get Shards or just the Surges?

[Pathfinder]

23 minutes ago, FantasyFanitic said:

If you choose Radiant do you get Shards or just the Surges?

For the purpose of this poll, just surges as sprenblades and shardplate would be a rather heavy pro convincing people to jump to radiants. I am more curious to see which people prefer, upfront power, or extended use/utility. 

[+Harrycrapper]

I have an analogy to explain my position. This seems a lot like a choice to have high speed, high cost internet with data caps(Radiants) or a low speed, low cost connection with no data cap(Voidbringer). As someone in the former position(high speed) who has friends in the latter(low speed), I much prefer keeping track of my data and having the high speed when I need it rather than having an infinite slow speed. Therefore I choose Radiant. 

[+Invocation]

I went Radiant because I want the better healing factor being a Truthwatcher would grant.

[KandraAllomancer]

Voidbringing (is that a word?) sounds intriguing, but I don't think we have enough information to make a rational choice

 

Edited February 21, 2020 by KandraAllomancer

[DiePie]

First of all, I assume when we say "voidbringers" we mean the singers and not humans?

Second, since voidbringers can change which surge they can use by changing their form and going out into an everstorm (They can do that, right?) I'd probably choose voidbringer, since the added adaptability would be nice.

[Pathfinder]

On 2/21/2020 at 5:42 PM, Harrycrapper said:

I have an analogy to explain my position. This seems a lot like a choice to have high speed, high cost internet with data caps(Radiants) or a low speed, low cost connection with no data cap(Voidbringer). As someone in the former position(high speed) who has friends in the latter(low speed), I much prefer keeping track of my data and having the high speed when I need it rather than having an infinite slow speed. Therefore I choose Radiant. 

I like the analogy. For you, you need to be able to to accomplish your goals quickly and short term, so you would rather keep an eye on a resource, and accomplish the goals in front of you, while the low cost no data cap would more be for leisurely use. 

22 hours ago, DiePie said:

First of all, I assume when we say "voidbringers" we mean the singers and not humans?

Second, since voidbringers can change which surge they can use by changing their form and going out into an everstorm (They can do that, right?) I'd probably choose voidbringer, since the added adaptability would be nice.

Hadn't considered that aspect. If that was the case, it would certainly add an appeal to the voidbringers. 

Here is a follow up question. If the sprenblade, and plate were on the table, would that cause you to change your decision to radiant? Just curious what appeals to people versus not. 

[+Oltux72]

On 21/02/2020 at 11:42 PM, Harrycrapper said:

I have an analogy to explain my position. This seems a lot like a choice to have high speed, high cost internet with data caps(Radiants) or a low speed, low cost connection with no data cap(Voidbringer). As someone in the former position(high speed) who has friends in the latter(low speed), I much prefer keeping track of my data and having the high speed when I need it rather than having an infinite slow speed. Therefore I choose Radiant. 

A Voidbringer with Transportation. Gravitation or Transport would hit a jackpot. If you got Adhesion or Tension, however, you are out of luck.
Hence I have to disagree. The association of limitlessness and thus low risk is misplaced. The high risk option is Voidbringer. You get one power. If it sucks, that's it.

[+ILuvHats]

I put voidbinder in the polls because I thought the OP was working under the theory that the Fused aren’t using voidbinding, and in that case I’d choose voidbinding just so I could learn about it. Choosing between having radiant powers or fused, I’d much rather have radiant. Edgedancers for life.

[+Harrycrapper]

12 hours ago, Oltux72 said:

A Voidbringer with Transportation. Gravitation or Transport would hit a jackpot. If you got Adhesion or Tension, however, you are out of luck.
Hence I have to disagree. The association of limitlessness and thus low risk is misplaced. The high risk option is Voidbringer. You get one power. If it sucks, that's it.

I'm not sure I'm understanding you correctly. You seem to indicate that Voidbringer is the less attractive option and I chose Radiant, not sure where you disagree. 

[+Oltux72]

25 minutes ago, Harrycrapper said:

I'm not sure I'm understanding you correctly. You seem to indicate that Voidbringer is the less attractive option and I chose Radiant, not sure where you disagree. 

I am saying that your reasoning is incorrect. The ultimate choice depends on preferences which cannot be rationally chosen, but given your stated preference I doubt the choice is optimal.

[Pathfinder]

18 minutes ago, Oltux72 said:

I am saying that your reasoning is incorrect. The ultimate choice depends on preferences which cannot be rationally chosen, but given your stated preference I doubt the choice is optimal.

@Harrycrapper was making an informed choice based on the parameters I presented for the vote. Based on that information he or she deemed their choice optimal. I acknowledge there is still a lot of info we do not have. I included that in my initial post, which is why I wrote what we would for this exercise be assuming. So I do not believe what he or she wrote was incorrect. He or she was going based on the information provided. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Pathfinder

[+Harrycrapper]

18 hours ago, Pathfinder said:

@Harrycrapper was making an informed choice based on the parameters I presented for the vote. Based on that information he or she deemed their choice optimal. I acknowledge there is still a lot of info we do not have. I included that in my initial post, which is why I wrote what we would for this exercise be assuming. So I do not believe what he or she wrote was incorrect. He or she was going based on the information provided. 

To clarify, I am a he. 

18 hours ago, Oltux72 said:

I am saying that your reasoning is incorrect. The ultimate choice depends on preferences which cannot be rationally chosen, but given your stated preference I doubt the choice is optimal.

We arrived at the same answer with different reasoning because we have different perspectives. It's not like this is a math problem where I arrive at the correct answer using the wrong formula. This was a question asking for an opinion on a binary choice, not a true and false question.  

[FantasyFanatic]

I think that I would go with Voidbringer. But a lot of that decision would have to be based on what Surge/Surges I got. See if I had the Surge of Tension, I would rather have the complementing Surge of Cohesion, so in that instance, I would choose Radiant. But take the Surge of Gravity, it doesn't really have a complementing Surge so I would choose Voidbringer. But other then Tension and Cohesion, those are really the only 2 Surges that really complement each other. So about 7 out of 10 times I would go with Voidbringer.