Which Hemalurgic Spikes Are Most Valubal?

[Trusk'our]

Let's have a hypothetical scenario; two shady Hemalurgists in trench coats meet one another in a dark alleyway to buy/sell Hemalurgic spikes from one another.

What spikes do you think would be most valuable to someone who knows what they do and why?

Here's my idea (ranked lowest first, highest last).

1. Allomantic aluminum. Basically useless for nearly any situation. It depletes your metal stores and actively works against your best interests in most cases.

2. Allomantic gold. Unless you find a way to hack Hemalurgy in such a way as to allow Compounding, this power is not all that useful (except maybe for self-reflection).

3. Allomantic cadmium. Unless you have access to Malwish Primer Cubes, this isn't useful in most combat cases. Would potentially help skip time if you're impatient and don't have any concept of how to use time efficiently.

4. Feruchemical Bendalloy. Nice for long travels, but not useful for much else unless you're a Worldhopper (which I won't discuss here).

5. Feruchemical brass. Definitely useful for traveling to extreme locations and maintaining a comfortable temperature no matter the environment. Proper clothing and AC could help nearly as much in most cases though.

6. Feruchemical cadmium. Could allow for extended periods of time diving. Useful for that situation if you don't have scuba gear, or if you are a marine biologist and don't want to disturb the wildlife while you study it.

7. Feruchemical copper. Useful to a creative person for a hodge podge of mental tricks and can allow you to recall desired information if used correctly, but a notebook could probably do that nearly as well.

8. Feruchemical bronze. Could be useful to tap in many circumstances (adding some extra awake-ness when you need it) and would be a lifesaver if you're cramming for a test but storing limits its usefulness to a degree since you could use the time spent storing to do useful work.

9. Allomantic/Feruchemical electrum. Seeing into the future, if in a limited way, could be useful if someone practiced with it. Determination seems like it could be of general benefit to someone no matter the situation, though storing would be a pain.

10. Allomantic copper. Copper can help you hide from Seekers while still using your powers, but due to Hemalurgic decay it's less viable of an option unless you figure out how to put multiple Hemalurgic charges inside a spike or unless you take two or more spikes.

11. Feruchemical iron. could be useful if you are creative or could be combined with Allomantic pewter to add some combat ability. Combined with Allomantic steel it would allow for some truly impressive feats of destruction.

12. Allomantic tin. Useful to enhance senses and increase awareness of your surroundings. Night vision is definitely a plus as well.

13. Feruchemical tin. Similar to A-tin, it's very useful for increasing your awareness of your surroundings, but you have more control over it. Additionally, you can choose to store pain, which would be very useful in a fight or in any situation where you get injured. A lack of night vision is a bummer, but overall I still would prefer it to A-tin.

14. Allomantic nicrosil. Could be useful in a fight to remove an opponent's metal reserves (though that might prove more risky than A-chromium) or to boost an ally Metalborn.

15. Allomantic iron. Less useful than A-steel, but could be useful in a fight or if you want Metalsense.

16. Feruchemical pewter. Useful for combat, can help with physical labor, helps you win that arm wrestling match, and can give you an Olympian bod for when you go to the beach.

17. Allomantic brass/zinc. Can be nice for helping in all sorts of social situations, including convincing others to help you locate Metalborn. Not so useful if aluminum-lined hats ever become fashionable, however.

18. Feruchemical duralumin. Can be used to aid in making friends, reducing people's awareness of you (if you want to quietly slip away from an awkward social situation or are an introvert), can let to speak foreign languages while traveling, and probably has more useses that will be discovered in time. Hiding better would help an aspiring Hemalurgist steal more powers and being able to befriend people more easily would help find more/con more Metalborn.

19. Feruchemical zinc. While it doesn't actually boost your raw intellect (merely the speed at which you think and comprehend), and while storing would be a pain, tapping some F-zinc could help with all sorts of situations, be it from assessing a battlefield to coming up with a clever response in a verbal duel, this power has got your back.

20. Allomantic bronze. If you're a Hemalurgist who is morally questionable and plans to steal more Invested powers, this power is your best friend. There are other ways of locating Metalborn however, so this power doesn't rank higher than it already is.

21. Feruchemical chromium. Fortune sounds like a powerful ability to have, and seems like it could be useful for all manner of situations (I don't see a situation where not tapping Fortune would be beneficial), and it may even allow for precognitive abilities. However, not a lot is known about it right now, and the need to store hampers its usefulness a lot.

22. Allomantic steel. Lets you basically have a limited form of flight and telekinesis. Useful for combat, locomotion, some everyday tasks, and it's fun. Steelsight is another useful ability for a creative person.

23. Allomantic Bendalloy. As Wayne shows us, this power can be very useful to a creative person and has some obvious benefits for combat.

24. Allomantic chromium. Useful for fighting Metalborn, particularly if you're a Hemalurgist looking to incapacitate/capture Metalborn to steal powers from. Honestly not sure whether A-chromium or A-pewter is more useful for this kind of thing.

25. Allomantic pewter. Enhances a whole bunch of physical qualities. Extremely useful for a fight, Kinesthetic activities of any kind, and helps keep you alive and running through even terrible injuries that would normally incapacitate or kill you.

26. Allomantic duralumin. Very useful in combat when combined with other powers. You'd have to be careful with it, but it could allow for greater versatility and raw power with other abilities.

27. Feruchemical gold. Can save your life from all but the most destructive attacks (such as being vaporized by a nuke). Could be used by an ambitious individual to generate more Metalborn powers, though without Compounding this would likely be very restricted in its use.

28. Feruchemical steel. Amazingly useful for combat as well as useful for a number of mundane tasks. I'd think that this would be one of the most useful combat metals, particularly for a Hemalurgist who can zip to their opponent and spike their Metalborn power form them before they can even blink.

29. Feruchemical aluminum/nicrosil. By combining these powers through Hemalurgy, you could grant powers to others via Unsealed Metalmind, or potentially grant someone else the ability to store their powers and give them to you temporarily. F-aluminum may also be able to overcome the Identity contamination that Hemalurgy suffers from, which would allow for Compounding (assuming that it works)- which is amazingly powerful with the right power combo.

So, what are everybody's else's ideas on this matter?

Edited April 16, 2023 by Trusk'our

[alder24]

If spikes that were made pre-Catacendre allows compounding, then all old inquisitor spikes would be insanely pricy, as anyone who has a matching pair could compound now.  

[therunner]

2 hours ago, alder24 said:

If spikes that were made pre-Catacendre allows compounding, then all old inquisitor spikes would be insanely pricy, as anyone who has a matching pair could compound now.  

Some Pathian earring are hemalurgic spikes (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/193/#e4156), and considering Harmonies distate, I would wager they could be reforged Inquisitor spikes, though Brandon has RAFOed whether atium spikes were part of earrings (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/361/#e11494).

And unless properly stored, Hemalurgic decay would render them nearly impotent (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/69/#e6112).

[alder24]

1 minute ago, therunner said:

Some Pathian earring are hemalurgic spikes (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/193/#e4156), and considering Harmonies distate, I would wager they could be reforged Inquisitor spikes, though Brandon has RAFOed whether atium spikes were part of earrings (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/361/#e11494).

And unless properly stored, Hemalurgic decay would render them nearly impotent (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/69/#e6112).

That's true, Allomantic spikes would be mostly useless, as the amount of power gained by them with compounding would be almost nothing, be a Misting getting corresponding Feruchemical metal would not care for extremely low power in that spike. It would give him the ability to compound with his normal Misting power, and he only needs to store a little bit (even if most of the attribute is lost when stored) to kickstart compounding, and then have all feruchemical attribute fueled by his Allomancy, fully going around the limitation imposed by 400 years of hemalurgic decay.

Unless hemalurgic decay cases feruchemy to also lose power when metalmind is tapped or even more power is lost to diminishing returns, which would made it, well, useless,

Unless those spikes were properly shielded in blood and meat, to minimize hemalurgic decay, then they can still be useful. Which I doubt Kandra would do.

[Trusk'our]

2 hours ago, therunner said:

Some Pathian earring are hemalurgic spikes (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/193/#e4156), and considering Harmonies distate, I would wager they could be reforged Inquisitor spikes, though Brandon has RAFOed whether atium spikes were part of earrings (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/361/#e11494).

And unless properly stored, Hemalurgic decay would render them nearly impotent (https://wob.coppermind.net/events/69/#e6112).

If they weren't Inquisitor spikes, they would have to be old Koloss spikes, which most likely warp the individual using them into an inhuman creature.

2 hours ago, alder24 said:

That's true, Allomantic spikes would be mostly useless, as the amount of power gained by them with compounding would be almost nothing, be a Misting getting corresponding Feruchemical metal would not care for extremely low power in that spike. It would give him the ability to compound with his normal Misting power, and he only needs to store a little bit (even if most of the attribute is lost when stored) to kickstart compounding, and then have all feruchemical attribute fueled by his Allomancy, fully going around the limitation imposed by 400 years of hemalurgic decay.

Unless hemalurgic decay cases feruchemy to also lose power when metalmind is tapped or even more power is lost to diminishing returns, which would made it, well, useless,

Unless those spikes were properly shielded in blood and meat, to minimize hemalurgic decay, then they can still be useful. Which I doubt Kandra would do.

I think that Hemalurgic decay for Feruchemical powers would reduce the efficiency of tapping them, similar to the natural weakening of modern Feruchemy.

So yeah, old Inquisitor spikes would be fun relics, maybe useful for a person tying to commune with Harmony, but not much else.

Quote

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/467/#e14740

Yoonseo Chang

Looking at Allomancy, you've mentioned that over time the power dilutes and each ability becomes less powerful. (for example a Tineye in Era 2 will generally be less powerful than one in Era 1) Does the same effect happen in Feruchemy as well? How would Feruchemy become less pure or diluted (other than Ferrings appearing)?

Brandon Sanderson

I have not gone as far with Feruchemy in that regard. I would say that if you're going to get a weakening of Feruchemy, which you're asking about, is the amount of stored attribute you get for lost attribute. There is decay there, you don't get a 1:1. Feruchemy generally I would say is not much weaker than it was before, a little bit but not much. This was done partially for narrative reasons. I wanted Allomancy... I wanted to back off a little on Allomancy and tell stories with it a little bit weaker. Again, mostly narrative reasons at this point. At this point on Scadrial, it's weakened about as much as it's going to because by this point people are having children that are more powerful because of the certain mixing. I'm not saying it's going up, I'm saying they have hit an equilibrium on Scadrial for the most part, at least in the Basin.

Unless... RoW spoilers

Spoiler

You might be able to "hear" the Rhythm of each spike if you have the right knowledge and resources. There might not be enough Investiture left inside them to maintain a Rhythm at all, but if they could, maybe you could use those old Rhythms to program new Hemalurgic spikes to act as if they were made anciently, rather than trying to copy the Rhythms of modern spikes for Investiture programming.

So, perhaps someone really could collect Pathian earrings for Hemalurgic enhancement.

 

[Kendelian]

On 4/16/2023 at 7:24 AM, alder24 said:

If spikes that were made pre-Catacendre allows compounding, then all old inquisitor spikes would be insanely pricy, as anyone who has a matching pair could compound now.  

Valuable, sure. But Hemalurgic decay would make them nearly devoid of charge.

[Kendelian]

I think that nicrosil spikes have the most potential uses because they can steal Identity and Connection, both of which have very interesting ramifications in the Cosmere as a whole

[Trusk'our]

11 hours ago, Kendelian said:

I think that nicrosil spikes have the most potential uses because they can steal Identity and Connection, both of which have very interesting ramifications in the Cosmere as a whole

Technically, that's duralumin. And indeed, they probably have some very interesting ramifications Cosmere-wide 

I think that nicrosil Hemalurgy would grant something akin to the Heightenings, but you'd need to find a way to either combine multiple charges into a single spike (a LOT of them) or you'd need to spike a single, very Invested being- such as a Radiant Spren- to get enough Investiture to get the job done properly.