Shard Equality

[danex]

Do we know if each Shard was shattered equally? Like they each got the same amount of investiture? Speaking of that do we even have a unit for investiture? I guess Breaths maybe? But what I'm really wondering is if Sazed could just OHKO Odium out of existence. Ignoring Intent and stuff, because I doubt Preservation would be down for destroying Odium. But if we ignore Intent, is Harmony literally, exactly, twice as powerful as any other shard? 

Edited November 23, 2020 by Danex

[Karger]

15 minutes ago, Danex said:

Do we know if each Shard was shattered equally? Like they each got the same amount of investiture?

Ruin and Preservation were exactly equal so I personally would assume so.

15 minutes ago, Danex said:

Speaking of that do we even have a unit for investiture?

Quote

Questioner

I was wondering if there is a unit of Investiture, like maybe something Khriss uses.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, but I haven't canonized it yet. Good question. I will eventually canonize it, because I think that people will want it, but I probably won't do so 'til [Mistborn] Era 3, because I want the scientific way of talking about the cosmere to mirror how developed the cultures are, but some of the scholars are beyond where everyone else is. It can be measured. There is a unit.

Questioner

Like, maybe grams of solid Investiture?

Brandon Sanderson

It will probably be an in-world unit of measurement. Right now, to talk about it online if you want, the unit is probably gonna be based around Breath, because a Breath is a distinct amount. Whereas in most of the settings, there's not a distinct amount. Like, how much Allomancy, things like that. How much can a gem hold. It really depends on how the gem is cut, and how long the gem has been out. So... the Breath is a really easy one, so it's become the unit. But there will probably be a fantasy term for it. I might just call it Breath. That's why I'm not canonized yet. But if you guys wanna talk about it in Breath terms, that's probably the easiest.

Arcanum Unbounded release party (Nov. 22, 2016)

 

15 minutes ago, Danex said:

But what I'm really wondering is if Sazed could just OHKO Odium out of existence. Ignoring Intent and stuff, because I doubt Preservation would be down for destroying Odium. But if we ignore Intent, is Harmony literally, exactly, twice as powerful as any other shard? 

Quote

Questioner

Does Odium actually present a real threat to Harmony, because he-- *interrupted*

Brandon Sanderson

So Harmony is vastly more powerful than Odium.

Questioner

Yeah. 

Brandon Sanderson

Elend was vastly more powerful than Vin. Who would win in a fight?

Questioner

Vin.

Brandon Sanderson

Okay, there's your answer.

White Sand vol.1 release party (June 28, 2016)

That help?

Edited May 27, 2020 by Karger

[Quantus]

At the time of Ascension all 16 shards were roughly equal in power.  There's work being done to more accurately quantify the different magic systems and the relative investiture exchange rate of each, but nothings been released yet.  In terms of Investiture, yes Harmony has Twice as much as the individual Shard vessels.  However, it's a matter of one guy holding two Shards, and while they are in they process of merging they are not yet a truly single Intent.  Currently they are two opposing Intents being forced into close proximity by one person and fighting each other, and so the bulk of the power available to Harmony is tied up in that fundamental opposition.  

 

 

Quote

 

Questioner

When the Shards all Ascended, did they all have roughly the same power level?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Starsight Release Party (Nov. 26, 2019)

 

 

[danex]

2 minutes ago, Karger said:

That help?

Wow, yeah that's pretty much everything

[Karger]

4 minutes ago, Danex said:

Wow, yeah that's pretty much everything

No problem.

[Honorless]

All Shards of Adonalsium were originally equal in power. Some have Invested more of themselves, they would be weaker than those who've Invested less or not at all.

Preservation, for example, became weaker than Ruin because of creating humanity. Odium is stronger because he doesn't Invest in planets.

Harmony, as per his own words, has difficulty taking action as the two powers he holds are in direct opposition to one another in Intent. Odium, on the other hand, has already killed multiple Shards, including taking on two Shards at once by some means.

Edited May 28, 2020 by R J
removed instances of repeated words

[GoWibble]

1 hour ago, Danex said:

Wow, yeah that's pretty much everything

Karger kind of does that. just take apart a topic line by line and WoB it to oblivion or understanding

[Karger]

8 hours ago, GoWibble said:

Karger kind of does that. just take apart a topic line by line and WoB it to oblivion or understanding

I learned from the best.

[+robardin]

22 hours ago, Karger said:

Ruin and Preservation were exactly equal so I personally would assume so. ...

That help?

I always love seeing that WOB come up about Odium vs. Harmony, and Brandon's question-for-an-answer being to compare lerasium Elend being "vastly more powerful" as a Mistborn than regular ol' Late-FE Vin.

"Who would win in a fight?"

"Vin."

"Okay, there's your answer."

Note that it's not "...Vin?" or "Vin, after a while", or "Vin, if...", just flat "Vin." Nobody doubts this outcome... Not even Elend!

Edited May 28, 2020 by robardin

[danex]

Quote

Sweetness

Just after the Shattering (but before they started created humans or something), did all Shards have roughly the same amount of raw power?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. Good question.

17th Shard Forum Q&A (Sept. 25, 2012)

Found another WOB that applies here and figured it might be useful for reference or something /shrug