What is the most powerful magic in the Cosmere - Lots of spoilers

[Shard Bearer]

I personally think that the most powerful magic system Brandon has created is AonDor. It isn't very useful for quick fighting, which makes people underestimate it, but if you scratch the right Aons into a piece of metal, well, it seems like you could do anything. I have several thoughts, such as an Aon Daa gun? Maybe a device using Aon Sheo to kill people. You could make a shardblade and shardplate if you wanted too, and use any power that anyone in the Cosmere uses. You can also use it in most places, provided you create some new aons, as shown when Mraize uses a Seon in Rhythm of War. What do you think? how powerful could you even get before the Dor ran out? 

[Treamayne]

The problem with questions like this, is how do you define "powerful?" In what sense? Which situation(s)? Examples:

• Magics of Sel are probably the most versitile (AonDor, Forgery, etc.) - slow and difficult - but given enough time they can do almost anything
• Allomancy is probably the most dynamic (especially 1:1 where skill is at least as important as power)
• Awakening is probably the most diverse (Not only is it open to anybody with enough breath, the applications amongst different types of Biochromantic Entities is astounding)

[EmulatonStromenkiin]

Yea, it's hard to do that. in terms of sheer, raw power used, regardless of effect, probably radiants

[Duxredux]

Power is a lot about context and relative postition. Elantris with AonDor is one of the best systems for defense. You can't even attack them from the Cognitive Realm with the Dor guarding that front. With a couple hundred half-trained Elantrians that only really knew a handful of Aons they easily wiped out a strike force of Invested soldiers. With sufficient preparation and the ability to power anything and everything with Investiture, they could probably handle most anything that wasn't specifically designed to defeat Aons. The fact that an Aon drawn by an Elantrian will continue to be in effect even if the character itself is erased could be extremely useful in combat situations. In contrast, AonDor is terrible for offensive battles away from Elantris.

I might make the case that if you really, really knew what you were doing and had no qualms, then Hemalurgy might be the most powerful. You would have to grant yourself abilities to protect yourself from Shardic or Allomantic interference, but it's a powerful art and becomes more powerful the more diverse opponents you face.

[Frustration]

Shards are the most powerful.

[alder24]

Most powerful? Shards - do they count? But seriously Hemalurgy is probably the strongest one - with it you can become user of every other magic system, and the only thing you need is simple knowledge how to do it. 

[EmulatonStromenkiin]

hemalurgy is probably the most versatile, then

[Returned]

At the sub-Shard level, I'd have to go with Fullborn Metallic Arts. The powers are diverse, portable, accessible, and Compounding gives you an incredibly formidable set of abilities. I'd prefer it to Hemalurgy largely because it's hard to set up (you have to spike people who already have the powers you want), which seriously undermines its versatility, while also leaving you directly vulnerable to interference from a Shard (limiting how many powers you can collect even under ideal circumstances).

If you feel combining Allomancy and Feruchemy at once is a cheat by using two magic systems, then I'd probably lean towards Feruchemy. It's also tricky to get set up, but if you're a full Feruchemist you can likely do some very intriguing things with manipulating Identity and Investiture both to enhance your own, other powers as well as interfere with those of others.

[teknopathetic]

Making a Nightblood must be up there in Power level, so awakening has to be a top contender. I would like to know what Divine Breaths can do or what a God-king can do as they progress to the n+1 Heightening. I suspect a divine breath is extremely powerful in the right hands, but we just haven't seen their culture figure out what is possible there since the magic appears to be so new and because divine breaths are hard to come by. 
 

Edited May 16, 2022 by teknopathetic

[Rg2045]

My knowledge is limited to mistborn and stormlight, so i have to say Knights radiants. Even the “weakest” order Is pewter enhanced near invincible armored haze killers with lightsabers and they heal!

lowest needed training to be effective with higher training being near impossible to kill

Resistant to other investiture (SP#4) 

Spoiler

And possibly able to use other investiture to fuel themselves. 

Slight manipulation due to spren able to talk to anyone of their choice. 
scouting, and some untold abilities that might come up due to the nature of seons and spren being related.
And that’s just the most basic radiant. Not even talking about the ones that fly, shift rock, change matter, divide to the atom. And we don’t know if all of them even need to be touching their target to do their ability. 

 All I’m saying is that we see the best of the best in Sandersons books, but we need to also look at the median as well 

[Trusk'our]

On 5/16/2022 at 2:59 PM, EmulatonStromenkiin said:

hemalurgy is probably the most versatile, then

My good man, you seem to well cultured as well  

But in all seriousness, Hemalurgy likely has the most potential for gaining enormous power and at a relatively quick rate. If you don't believe me, read this quote from Mr. Brando Sando himself

Quote

Questioner

I was wondering if a Hemalurgic spike would take surges, or if it could take a spren bond? Would it interact at all for that?

Brandon Sanderson

Hemalurgy can interact with every one of the magics. I designed it specifically in writing Mistborn for future use. Because some of the magics are so limited by their planet I wanted one that transcended all of them and Hemalurgy is very important to the entire cosmere. Its invention is a thing of great power and great danger to the entire cosmere.

For example, anybody with the right knowledge could steal a Bondsmith's powers via Hemalurgy, then use those stolen powers to forcibly retain the bond.

Spooky stuff right there.

(But AonDor would be the most powerful magic system in my mind if Hemalurgy couldn't also replicate it's power as well)

[Lunu’anaki]

On 5/16/2022 at 7:29 PM, Rg2045 said:

My knowledge is limited to mistborn and stormlight, so i have to say Knights radiants. Even the “weakest” order Is pewter enhanced near invincible armored haze killers with lightsabers and they heal!

And on top of all that, it seems like bondsmiths can literally just alter a whole host of magical related things, including another persons connection to whatever makes them magical in the first place.

[EmulatonStromenkiin]

To clarify, AonDor is the most powerful, though it is limited, and Hemalurgy is the most versatile

[Honorless]

If we're including unpublished, then Microkinesis. Otherwise, unchained Bondsmith.

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

With a bit of setup I would say the godkings deserve another look.  Anything within eyeshot (potentially if they simply know it is there) can be awakened to obey their desires.  

I have had a lot of scenes become truly epic in my mind, but the color draining everything to a pure white and all the cloth crawling off the walls to grab an armies worth of rebels, crushing them and tossing them like ragdolls has to be my #1 favorite scene... just imagine all the color being drained around you and the house itself coming alive to rip you in half...

That said awakening lacks solid healing.  If returned could will themselves alive through some weird idealism / identity shenanigans then they would probably be the most spooky of opponents.  

[+honorblades]

I would say either Yolish magic (which to be fair is apparently broken now) or Surgebinding, based on how dangerous they are regarded in the narrative.

"Powers that we have been forbidden to touch ... Dangerous powers, of spren and Surges" Oathbringer Ch. 111

 

"Surge of Cohesion, cousin to microkinesis, is far less explosive of a power ... bounded by Honor to prevent the mistakes that happened on Yolen" RoW Ars Arcanum

 

Etc etc. Surgebinding in particular is regularly referenced as very dangerous in a way that, say, Feruchemy isn't. 

[Silverblade5]

The best power is jolly cooperation. Turning an adversary into an ally is far greater than any amount of investiture.

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

7 hours ago, Silverblade5 said:

The best power is jolly cooperation. Turning an adversary into an ally is far greater than any amount of investiture.

In line with this...   you also have to tip your hat to the power of plot armor.   It allows little girls being held by gods to rip free from their grasp and kill them.... multiple times.  

It allows for that last second change of heart that propels you forward to being a hero for the rest of the book even though you have spent the last 900 pages doing that one thing you promised you wouldn't do because it would have bad consequences but don't worry you change your mind at the perfect time. 

It allows your would be killer to spend that 1 second too long explaining in great detail his evil plan before thrusting his dagger into your chest.  Now he was stopped and you are alive because he just had to boast and say those last 3 words with a big smig smile on his face to rub it in.  

Plot armor is by far the most powerful magic. 

[KaladinWorldsinger]

On 5/23/2022 at 3:43 PM, Tamriel Wolfsbaine said:

In line with this...   you also have to tip your hat to the power of plot armor.   It allows little girls being held by gods to rip free from their grasp and kill them.... multiple times.  

It allows for that last second change of heart that propels you forward to being a hero for the rest of the book even though you have spent the last 900 pages doing that one thing you promised you wouldn't do because it would have bad consequences but don't worry you change your mind at the perfect time. 

It allows your would be killer to spend that 1 second too long explaining in great detail his evil plan before thrusting his dagger into your chest.  Now he was stopped and you are alive because he just had to boast and say those last 3 words with a big smig smile on his face to rub it in.  

Plot armor is by far the most powerful magic. 

Shhhh. Shhhhhhhhh. Too meta. Brandon already explained all conveniences and plot Armor with one word -'futuresight'. Why did everything workout in the end? Well some shard looked into the future and this was his plan. Was there any other better way? No, shut up. What do you mean it takes away the agency of the characters and ruins the magic of character moments? Atleast its not plot Armor. 

I hate destiny and chosen ones in  fantasy and fiction in general.

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

2 hours ago, KaladinWorldsinger said:

Shhhh. Shhhhhhhhh. Too meta. Brandon already explained all conveniences and plot Armor with one word -'futuresight'. Why did everything workout in the end? Well some shard looked into the future and this was his plan. Was there any other better way? No, shut up. What do you mean it takes away the agency of the characters and ruins the magic of character moments? Atleast its not plot Armor. 

I hate destiny and chosen ones in  fantasy and fiction in general.

Part of why I love certain characters is because of their thinking through issues.  It was exciting to read about Vin pushing the limits and testing the bounds of her system.  Kelsier vs the inquistors was so epic because they were fighting in the system.  Vin vs TRL I have no choice but assume TLR was suicidal and wanted to be killed at that point.  

[Onironte]

What exactly do you mean by "magic"?
Does this include Shard and Dawnshards?

[teknopathetic]

Purelake Fishymancing is obviously the most powerful. 

Edited June 9, 2022 by teknopathetic

[cometaryorbit]

Excluding Shards I think it has to be (now unbound by Honor) Surgebinding for the reasons @honorblades said.

Hemalurgy and AonDor are more versatile but Surgebinding when unbound is implied to be a threat to whole worlds. Unchained Bondsmith powers are definitely crazy but some other Surges may have unexplored potential (for example Hoid hints to Jasnah there's a way to blow up whole armies, and Rayse/Odium thought other Shards would want to claim the 'greater power of the Surges').

[Frustration]

18 minutes ago, cometaryorbit said:

Excluding Shards I think it has to be (now unbound by Honor) Surgebinding for the reasons @honorblades said.

Hemalurgy and AonDor are more versatile but Surgebinding when unbound is implied to be a threat to whole worlds. Unchained Bondsmith powers are definitely crazy but some other Surges may have unexplored potential (for example Hoid hints to Jasnah there's a way to blow up whole armies, and Rayse/Odium thought other Shards would want to claim the 'greater power of the Surges').

Cohesion can create nukes, Illumination can create lasers etc etc.

[Lunu’anaki]

On 5/15/2022 at 3:17 PM, Shard Bearer said:

 if you scratch the right Aons into a piece of metal, well, it seems like you could do anything.

You could probably do anything a shard could do... with the limitation being that you basically need to write code each time in order to do it. That's a pretty big limitation... but it is powerful at a slow pace.