Confusion about Gifting

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

So I'm a little confused about the exact details of Gifting. I know that it allows an Epic to grant weakened versions of their powers to non-Epics. I know that giving more power lets the Epic not get corrupted. But one thing I don't think was brought up was if the Gifters actually lose potency in their powers when they Gift it to others? Because that was never really made clear to me.

 

[alder24]

2 hours ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

So I'm a little confused about the exact details of Gifting. I know that it allows an Epic to grant weakened versions of their powers to non-Epics. I know that giving more power lets the Epic not get corrupted. But one thing I don't think was brought up was if the Gifters actually lose potency in their powers when they Gift it to others? Because that was never really made clear to me.

It has been a while since I've read the Reckoners, but I don't remember their powers being weakened by gifting. Coppermind (Transference Epics) also doesn't mention this is happening, but that's not conclusive. 

[Treamayne]

On 10/22/2023 at 10:36 AM, JustQuestin2004 said:

So I'm a little confused about the exact details of Gifting. I know that it allows an Epic to grant weakened versions of their powers to non-Epics. I know that giving more power lets the Epic not get corrupted. But one thing I don't think was brought up was if the Gifters actually lose potency in their powers when they Gift it to others? Because that was never really made clear to me.

On 10/22/2023 at 1:18 PM, alder24 said:

It has been a while since I've read the Reckoners, but I don't remember their powers being weakened by gifting. Coppermind (Transference Epics) also doesn't mention this is happening, but that's not conclusive. 

It is implied to not be the case by this section (Steelheart Ch 38):

Spoiler

“Okay,” I said to Cody. “You know the restrooms near the fourth bomb position? I’m going to hide in there until you arrive.”

“Got it,” Cody said.

I dashed away, hoping that Nightwielder, wherever he was, had been disoriented by the blast. I neared the restrooms I’d mentioned to Cody, but I didn’t go into them as I’d said. Instead I found a spot nearby and used my tensor to blast a hole into the ground. This was a place where I’d be relatively well hidden but would also have a good view of the rest of the corridor—restrooms included.

So ,if Prof is on Soldier's Field fighting all-out against Steelheart, and David used the Tensor here - that implies no loss of ability while gifting. However, this section (Ch 41)

Spoiler

“Don’t know why I did it,” Prof said. “You pathetic little…” He groaned, raising his hand to his head, then gritted his teeth and roared.

I scrambled back, startled.

“It’s so hard to fight,” he said through clenched teeth. “The more you use it, the…Arrrrr!” He knelt down, holding his head. He was quiet for a few minutes, and I let him be, not knowing what to say. When he raised his head, he seemed more in control. “I give it away,” he said, “because if I use it…it does this to me.”

“You can fight it, Prof,” I said. It felt right. “I’ve seen you do it. You’re a good man. Don’t let it consume you.”

He nodded, breathing in and out deeply. “Take it.” He reached out his hand.

I hesitantly took his hand with my good one—the other was crushed. I should have felt pain from that. I was too much in shock.

I didn’t feel any different, but Prof seemed to grow more in control. My wounded hand re-formed, bones pulling together. In seconds I could flex it again, and it worked perfectly.

“I have to split it up among you,” he said. “It doesn’t seem to…seep into you as quickly as it does me. But if I give it all to one person, they’ll change.”

Implies that it also may be about how much of the power they Gift - because giving too much to one person can also make that person susceptible to the Darkness.

My conclusion is that sharing a small amount does not make an appreciable change in the Epic's power level, but giving away more can change their power level, and therefore affect how the Darkness affects them.