Hemalurgy

[TheSurvivorofDeath]

We’ve seen Hemalurgy used throughout Mistborn Era 1 and 2, and it’s clearly a very powerful art. The question now is how far that power can go in the wider Cosmere. What are the applications on other worlds, with other magic systems? What can be done with God Metals like Raysium? The possibilities seem endless.

I think Raysium could be used to combine spikes, as it conducts Investiture. This might be able to drastically increase the power that could be applied without risking some of the same issues that come from overspiking. It may also be able to steal any ability on any world due to this same conductive nature.

What do you guys think?

[alder24]

Yes, any God metal can be made into spike, like Trellium was, Raysium as well. What would they do, we don't know. Conducting properties of Raysium are most likely not the same as its Hemalurgic properties. That being said, you can use regular 16 metals to steal any power, any ability, any connection and anything they allow to take from any place within Cosmere. You just need to use specific metal to acquire what you want. 

You can steel Nahel Bond with spren from Radiant, though spren can break that bond. 

Spoiler

Questioner

So, the fan page wanted to know. Would it be possible for Hemalurgy to steal a living Shardblade? That was the top voted question.

Brandon Sanderson

Ok, so you're bonded to a Shardblade. You get spiked, then they spike off the bond so that the Shardblade is bonded to someone else.

Questioner

I assume so...

Brandon Sanderson

But can they do it with a living Shardblade? You can definitely do it with a dead Shardblade because its just stealing the Connection. With a living Shardblade, yes you could do that 'though the spren could break the bond at will.

Questioner

So the spren would survive? That was the second-- the corollary--

Brandon Sanderson

Ehhh. Would the spren survive? The spren would survive as long as the oaths were--

Questioner

Intact?

Brandon Sanderson

--the person didn't break the oaths. But you could theoretically steal the bond, break the oaths, and kill the spren. If you wanted to. Its a very convoluted to kill a spren, they are easier to kill than that, but yes. You could do that. That is a viable but twisted route that you can do. You would end up with a dead spren and a Shardblade, so there is that. But there are easier ways to accomplish that...

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/21/#e4548

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can steal bond with Aviars and powers they give

Spoiler

Questioner (paraphrased)

If I wanted to Hemalurgically acquire a power from First of the Sun, which metal would the spike need to be?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

This is going to be pretty complicated, but several metals would work.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Would it involve Connection between the person being spiked and the bird?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Well it would be even harder than on Roshar, where you need to somehow spike the spren and also the Radiant. You would need to spike the bird and steal the power, but also spike the person and steal Connection.

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/135/#e3347

 

 

 

 

You can steal Divine Breath, or any investiture or attributes and powers people have.

Spoiler

Pagerunner

The Hemalurgy table, you wrote down "atium steals any power, lerasium is all abilities, nicrosil is Investiture"; what's the difference between those three?

Hemalurgic atium, lerasium, and nicrosil. What's powers, abilities, and Investiture?

Brandon Sanderson

People are Invested in ways that do not give them active powers. So for instance, everyone on Nalthis is Invested. Everyone in the cosmere is, really. You want to steal their Investiture, but they don't have a power. You're still ripping off a piece of their soul. So there is a distinction between the actual Investiture that's in a human being and a specific power that they have.

So that distinction is pretty easy. You can also, with Hemalurgy, steal specific things. You can steal just general Investiture. You can steal, if you want--this is where the kandra Blessings come from. You can instead steal specific things that are not like stealing Allomancy. Stealing, for instance, someone's mental acuity.

Pagerunner

So abilities is like the half that's all the strength, speed, all that kind of stuff? Those are abilities, versus the Metallic Arts are all powers?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Pagerunner

Then Investiture, is that offworld magics?

Brandon Sanderson

No, no, it's the raw power.

Pagerunner

Nicrosil is their soul?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. A piece of their soul, essentially.

Pagerunner

So how would you go about stealing an offworld power?

Brandon Sanderson

It's going to depend. A Breath, you would steal with nicrosil. It's general Investiture, is what you would probably going call that. You could forcibly remove someone's Breath from them. The ability to be a Sand Master you would steal with the power ability.

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/472/#e14896

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So basically you can steal anything everywhere, you just need to have correct metal for a spike, and know how to do it.