Willshaper Powers

[Shadesmar13]

I was doing some research about different Surges the other day, and when I read about the surge of stone shaping, I started wondering about it. Specifically, when a Willshaper or a Stoneward uses their Stormlight to shape a stone, does it become like clay and they have to mold it? Or (this would be way cooler) would they be able to sort of command it with their mind so they don't have to actually dig tunnels through rock, etc. I may simply have this question because I missed a part in the descriptions in both the book and the info pages. But if the latter is tue for Willshapers and Stonewards, it would be wicked cool! 

[Ciridae]

I'm pretty sure that's how it works, at least we see a Stoneward in one of the visions shape a large section of a cliff into handholds and steps iirc. Pretty sure touch is required, not sure if they could do it at a distance. But Willshapers do have Transportation, so between Stonewards and Willshapers I'd say it's more likely that Willshapers could use it ranged. (Even though I'm pretty sure Brandon has said that distance Soulcasting is not due to Elscallers also having access to Transportation.)

Also, I'd be really interested in whether or not Radiants could, with enough practice, faze into the stone like we see the Deepest ones do, without displacing any of it. 

And welcome to the Shard!

Edited May 8, 2021 by Ciridae

[LewsTherinTelescope]

2 hours ago, Ciridae said:

Also, I'd be really interested in whether or not Radiants could, with enough practice, faze into the stone like we see the Deepest ones do, without displacing any of it. 

Personally, I suspect they could. The Heavenly Ones and Windrunners seem to have basically identical Gravitation powers, as do the Masked Ones and the Lightweavers with Illumination, and the Flowing Ones and the Edgedancers with Abrasion. And the Heavenly Ones prove that the Fused are indeed capable of using their powers externally (while the Heavenly Ones don't Lash other things often, they do do so onscreen a couple times in Oathbringer), and the Windrunners prove Radiants can use their powers internally, so it doesn't seem like there's an actual restriction forcing Radiants to be external and Fused internal. It's just that the gemhearts let the Fused powers last indefinitely when used on themselves, so they focus on using things on themselves and have practiced to the point they can use them like second nature (the Heavenly Ones flowing through the air, for example, and the Deepest Ones moving themselves through stone slightly instead of walking).

So I think at the very least a singer Radiant can probably theoretically do anything a Fused can do, though it might take more lifetimes of practice to master than they can get. I think for a human Radiant, they can theoretically do the same, but it's going to be too Light-intensive to keep up for long without having the infinite-lasting-in-gemheart trick.

[ScadrianTank]

It does seem like that is the case. The Radiant quiz mentions Willsahpers and Stonewards using their Surges to create barricades and stuff, so tunnels seem likely. A trench might be easier than a tunnel because dealing with excess material is easier, though.

[Halyo_Alex]

8 hours ago, ScadrianTank said:

It does seem like that is the case. The Radiant quiz mentions Willsahpers and Stonewards using their Surges to create barricades and stuff, so tunnels seem likely. A trench might be easier than a tunnel because dealing with excess material is easier, though.

Unless you can just lift the extra ground material upwards, which could also provide some cover on the surface from, like, arrows or maybe ranged magic. Dunno the specifics that would be going on at that time.

[ElMonoEstupendo]

I believe in the passage in RoW where Venli first starts to use her Willshaper Surges she vibes hard enough to Roshar's Top Ten that the stone forms figures, an entire scene, apparently in response to her thoughts. That might not be how it works for Stonewards (i.e. it's a Willshaper Resonance) or it might be specific to a listener Stoneshaper.

[LewsTherinTelescope]

On 5/10/2021 at 0:19 PM, ElMonoEstupendo said:

That might not be how it works for Stonewards (i.e. it's a Willshaper Resonance) or it might be specific to a listener Stoneshaper.

We don't know how the specifics carry over, but Khriss has this to say (which her agent learned from the Stonewards):

Quote

Connection: The stone can sense the Intent of the Surgebinder, and even their past. I have reliable reports of stone reaching back through generations of Connection to display events, feelings, emotions, and ideas from long ago. It will shape the faces of Stonewards long dead. It will create pictures of events long forgotten. What I initially dismissed as an inferior form of microkinesis is, indeed, much more focused and—in some ways—more remarkable. There is a divining property to Stoneshaping I had not thought to find.

So it seems like this is a general Stoneshaping thing, most likely.

[drunkenbotanist]

On 5/10/2021 at 1:19 PM, ElMonoEstupendo said:

I believe in the passage in RoW where Venli first starts to use her Willshaper Surges she vibes hard enough to Roshar's Top Ten that the stone forms figures, an entire scene, apparently in response to her thoughts. That might not be how it works for Stonewards (i.e. it's a Willshaper Resonance) or it might be specific to a listener Stoneshaper.

Just taking a second to appreciate "she vibes hard enough to Roshar's Top Ten"