Shardplate Abilities (spoilers)

[Hare_Mettle he/him]

I have been doing some research and haven't found any theorizing on this topic yet; but, apologies if that's untrue. 

I loved the inclusion of Kaladin's Shardplate having the ability to leave him and go protect someone else. This made me think that each order's 4th ideal Living Shardplate may bring with it a unique ability. Here's what I'm imagining after a short brainstorm session:

 

Windrunners: Protection = lesser spren leaving them to go protect others. 

Skybreakers: Justice = living plate allows them to recognize lies and contradictions to laws. 

Dustbringers: Self Mastery = this idea is based off Sanderson's description of the order from his website that explains they gain more destructive power as they progress because of how dangerous it is. This make me believe that they can only use their destructive abilities while in Shardplate. The living Shardplate allows them to destroy with great power, but maybe they also become susceptible to the destruction while in the suit. That way, they must be more careful with their abilities so they don't hurt themselves as well. This would require great self-mastery. 

Edgedancers: I am torn on this one. While Edgedancers are mostly associated with the idea of Remembrance, they are regarded and we see them as healers in the story. I believe their armor can fly off them similar to Windrunners, and heal someone they encase, not just protect them. This would leave the Edgedancer vulnerable as they try to save those who were forgotten and left to die. 

Truthwaters: Truth = while in armor, Truthwaters can read people's minds to gain the truth - as well as hear the voices and memories of the dead. This is a certain way to gain truth. 

Lightweavers: Self actualization = Once a Lightweaver knows themselves well enough, in their armor they can instantly appear as anything - does not require stormlight or a weaving. Shallan could imagine being invisible, and she would be. She would imagine herself as a rock and she would be. 

Elsecallers: Progress = the ability to progress from one world to another with ease. While in armor, Elsecallers exist in both the physical and cognitive realms simultaneously. They can see spren and humans/singers alike, converse with them, and commit fully to either at a mere thought without using stormlight. 

Willshapers: Freedom = Similar to Venli, Willshapers work towards freedom by communicating between beings. In fourth ideal plate, a Willshaper can converse with all of Roshar and any living creature. They have the ability to listen and negotiate or counsel with all beings. 

Stoneward: Teamwork = Stonewards have a living Shardplate that can mimic mimic their fighting styles. This allows the plate to remove itself from the Stonewards, then go fight somewhere else to help until the Stoneware can make it there themself. 

Bondsmith: Unite = Once inside a 4th ideal living plate armor, Bondsmiths can speak to and hear every knight who is in armor. He can also patch them into each other so communication is better. 

 

Some of these are iffy but I like the idea of each living armor plate doing something vastly different according the order. 

[Quantus he/him]

Interesting Idea and I agree there's a good chance different Orders will have unique abilities.  

 

Personal opinions only:

About half of the Orders have an inward/self focus on their Ideals, compared to more outward ones like Windrunners and Edgedancers.  I think the outward ones will be the only ones to share their plate like Windrunners.  

I tend to think Truthwatchers will get the Healing Plate so that Edgedancers get more of an active protection like Windrunners where their Plate can jump to others and channel Abrasion to slick them. 

There wasnt any hint of Jashan getting advanced spren senses when she was fighting in her plate, and I have to assume there would be a bunch on an active battlefield.  Maybe it will focus on the Life Support needs of an Elsecaller in Shadesmar and provide Feruchemical-esk support for air, food/water, and Waste (Something Adolin would appreciate).   

 

[Frustration]

My opinion on that was that it was a natural consequence of being able to summon plate. I bet you could do the same thing with a blade.

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

3 hours ago, Frustration said:

My opinion on that was that it was a natural consequence of being able to summon plate. I bet you could do the same thing with a blade.

Then what other little tricks could be done?

Perhaps only summoning part of the Shardplate? Like summoning just the gauntlets instead of the whole suit?

[BrightLord William]

2 hours ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

Then what other little tricks could be done?

Perhaps only summoning part of the Shardplate? Like summoning just the gauntlets instead of the whole suit?

I don’t no how that would work because shardplates are incredibly heavy and the power comes from the chest so I think it would way the radiant down to much 

[+Oltux72 he/him]

18 hours ago, Hare_Mettle said:

I have been doing some research and haven't found any theorizing on this topic yet; but, apologies if that's untrue. 

I loved the inclusion of Kaladin's Shardplate having the ability to leave him and go protect someone else. This made me think that each order's 4th ideal Living Shardplate may bring with it a unique ability. Here's what I'm imagining after a short brainstorm session:

That is doing statistics from two examples.

18 hours ago, Hare_Mettle said:

 

Windrunners: Protection = lesser spren leaving them to go protect others. 

For all we know that is just a use of the Surge of Adhesion.

 

[in Truth,watcher of tv he/him]

@Hare_Mettle I really like the idea as well, that the Shardplate does different things for each Order, it's just even more flavour. A technical quibble though, if you were listing the Orders with their core value the Elsecallers would be self-actualisation and the Lightweavers more like self-knowledge.

IMHO some of your suggestions seem more like general abilities than things related to the Shardplate (such as the Elsecallers being in both Realms); so maybe the Radiant can do that but the Shardplate can do something else? Also I think BrandySandy avoids mind-reading in the Cosmere, as far as I know there is only one instance of it and that is a single Shard that has to go to some lengths to make it happen.

I like the idea you have for the Stonewards, puppeting their Plate could possibly relate to Tension, although I could also see it being the Dustbringer ability; flamespren (assuming that's their platespren) can already do a very similar thing in conjoiner fabrials: sympathetic motion (Abrasion) at a distance (Division). It could work with the idea of obedience and self-mastery, if you are controlling two of yourself.

Edgedancers having a healing medivac suit is great, but maybe the mechanics of transferring it are different from the Windrunners. With the Surges being what they are, maybe Windrunners can send their Plate at a distance but only to people 'under their protection/leadership', while Edgedancers can pass it to anyone but only up close?

My suggestion for the Lightweavers is along the same lines as yours; since they have Transformation and creationspren shapeshift all the time, maybe Lightweaver Plate is much more alterable like a Shardblade. They could shrink it down to be skin-tight so it fits under an illusion and texture it to match an illusion.

 

16 hours ago, Quantus said:

There wasnt any hint of Jashan getting advanced spren senses when she was fighting in her plate, and I have to assume there would be a bunch on an active battlefield.  Maybe it will focus on the Life Support needs of an Elsecaller in Shadesmar and provide Feruchemical-esk support for air, food/water, and Waste (Something Adolin would appreciate).  

It didn't really provide her life-support in that battle though, she had to break for refreshments and all it could do was open/close vents. I'm pretty sure Shardplate can't exist in Shadesmar anyway, dead Plate certainly can't go, and Shallan earned hers there but all she got was got was swarmed by creationspren, I'm not sure she even knows she has it. But maybe the Elsecallers Plate ability is that it can manifest in Shadesmar; it fits with Transportation and the inkspren appearing almost identical in each realm, its also the greatest benefit for an Order that spends half the time in Shadesmar and wants to be careful. Plus, they could use it as a diving suit in the bead seas.

[Quantus he/him]

22 minutes ago, in Truth,watcher of tv said:

It didn't really provide her life-support in that battle though, she had to break for refreshments and all it could do was open/close vents. I'm pretty sure Shardplate can't exist in Shadesmar anyway, dead Plate certainly can't go, and Shallan earned hers there but all she got was got was swarmed by creationspren, I'm not sure she even knows she has it. But maybe the Elsecallers Plate ability is that it can manifest in Shadesmar; it fits with Transportation and the inkspren appearing almost identical in each realm, its also the greatest benefit for an Order that spends half the time in Shadesmar and wants to be careful. Plus, they could use it as a diving suit in the bead seas.

Hmm, good point, though I suppose it can always be an Intent thing where they need to know to try, or some such.  I do like the tie in that Inkspren manifest with the same form in both worlds, from a thematic standpoint.