Pewter or tin

[Your average nerd He/him]

In my opinion being a pewter arm is beater because you can be like Ham also tin is not nice when you hear a loud noise. 

[DoctaDajman]

5 hours ago, Your average nerd said:

In my opinion being a pewter arm is beater because you can be like Ham also tin is not nice when you hear a loud noise. 

Sometimes it would be nice to listen to conversations at the other side of a room... but it would definately be far more beneficial in 90% of the areas in my life to have strength and endurance for hauling endless bags of soil around the yard for the wife.  The honey-do list will be far easier with pewter. 

And at the end of the day... if someone wants me to know something they will just tell me. If not... then I probably don't want to hear it anyways. 

[Duxredux he/him]

A-Pewter's powerset will probably appeal to a larger group of the population. Physical fitness, enhanced balance, expedited healing, increased durability, and being able to operate at peak capacity for hours if necessary would be useful for just about any profession or life style I can think of. Construction worker or athlete are the obvious professions, but Pewter enhances or supports most daily acts of life. Sure, a computer programmer might need to get a specially reinforced keyboard, but forced wakefulness and having pewter to offset a sedentary career is distinctly beneficial. 

I would expect Tin to be more useful for careers and lifestyles that are detail oriented. Someone who enjoys going on a nature hike, not for the fresh air and exercise, but for the beauty of nature and wildlife. A chef being able identify prime ingredients and distinctions in flavor. A psychologist being able to identify body language cues in their subject. Safety inspector being able to see details, smell corrosion or mold, or hear pests. Carpenter making precision cuts and detail work. A violinist would hear the tones much more loudly and distinctly, as well as how much the string is cutting into their finger. In general though, Tin would require more training to be directly useful, equipment if trying to isolate a single sense, and more. It's far more of a case-by-case basis. Even then, each of these professions could probably still find a benefit in Pewter as it enhances grace, dexterity, and endurance. There are plenty of professions that would become distinctly unpleasant when burning Tin with more sporadic direct benefits.

 

Me personally, I already have found plenty of upsides to being hyposensitive, lower adversion to pain, being able to take of my glasses and go basically blind on demand, and not getting nauseated when dealing with smelly tasks. In general I'm doing just fine with weakened senses. Pewter has far more application in my life, that there runs a serious risk of developing a dependency or savantism.

[+robardin he/him]

In addition to enhanced physical strength and stamina, pewter also gives you a healing factor and enhanced agility as well (balance).

I am pretty terrible with the agility/balance bit, so that would be pretty nice to experience for once. LOL.

[Your average nerd He/him]

Wow thanks so much I didn’t think 12 people would vote right away thanks to everyone who voted 

[Your average nerd He/him]

We’ve already got 23 people voting thanks!

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

Not to mention that Pewter Savantism is somewhat more bearable than Tin Savantism.

With Tin Savants, their senses are dulled to the point of being crippled when not burning tin or they'll suffer from sensory overload and need to go full daredevil just to cope when they are burning tin. Not fun.

With Pewter Savants, you'll be unable to notice pain or fatigue, but unless you're living a risky or dangerous lifestyle, then that won't be too much of a problem so long as you know to watch out for it, in exchange for an even greater physical boost.

Not to mention, that there is a possibility of being able to do some very limited low-level self-perception shapeshifting with pewter.

Spoiler

Questioner (paraphrased)

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how similar are the processes of Command-Breaking a Lifeless and Unmaking?

2. Is there more going on behind the scenes when an Allomancer burns pewter? I suspect that the process triggers a "mind over matter" state, where the user's desires are made manifest, albeit in a limited way. If so, can a pewter burner alter their Physical appearance, similar to a Returned (provided they knew they could and had access to enough pewter)?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

1. 7 they are similar

2a. That is a valid theory. On the right track. 

2b. Possible in theory

 

[Your average nerd He/him]

On 5/18/2025 at 12:15 AM, JustQuestin2004 said:

Not to mention that Pewter Savantism is somewhat more bearable than Tin Savantism

No you can die if your a Pewter savant

[Guest]

On 2/17/2025 at 9:42 AM, Your average nerd said:

In my opinion being a pewter arm is beater because you can be like Ham also tin is not nice when you hear a loud noise. 

 

On 2/18/2025 at 12:35 PM, robardin said:

In addition to enhanced physical strength and stamina, pewter also gives you a healing factor and enhanced agility as well (balance).

I am pretty terrible with the agility/balance bit, so that would be pretty nice to experience for once. LOL.

I agree with both of these. Am I the only person who has accidently walked into a tree and a metal bar?

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

9 hours ago, Your average nerd said:

No you can die if your a Pewter savant

Only if you are too heavily injured or exhaust yourself to death, which would be easier to avoid if you aren't in some kind of war.

In a more relaxed life with a less risky career, like construction or something, Pewter Savantism wouldn't be too big of a problem so long as you were aware of it and looked after yourself properly.

[Guest]

On 12/14/2025 at 5:15 PM, JustQuestin2004 said:

Only if you are too heavily injured or exhaust yourself to death, which would be easier to avoid if you aren't in some kind of war.

In a more relaxed life with a less risky career, like construction or something, Pewter Savantism wouldn't be too big of a problem so long as you were aware of it and looked after yourself properly.

The wise logic of @JustQuestin2004 everyone. Now clap for him!

[Shattere She/her]

I think tin would be more useful for noticing the small details. I was actually quite surprised to see that most people chose pewter. I can see how that’s useful too, though

[Willshaper42 He/Him]

Why is everyone talking about savantism? That wasn't the original question, (though the question doesn't necessarily count it out) so i'm saying tin because with pewter you are stronger, but a LOT more noticeable, while no one can tell if someone is burning tin unless there are bright lights, loud noises, or something of the like.

On 2/17/2025 at 10:42 AM, Your average nerd said:

In my opinion being a pewter arm is beater because you can be like Ham also tin is not nice when you hear a loud noise.

Also, to this I have one word. Earplugs.

Edited April 20 by Willshaper42
Typo

[Deception He/Him]

I chose tineye. I do think it would be really cool to burn Pewter - I would probably become the best athlete of all time, could bike to school super fast, heal from injuries, etc. However, I think it would be even more cool to be a tineye and sit on top of a big hill and look down, use super hearing to pinpoint the sound of someone playing a video game on their phone, use super vision to look at their screen and steal their join code, then join and troll them. Also, nobody could whisper about you while you burn tin, because you could overhear any conversation within hundreds of feet. What's more, with practice and modern strategies, maybe I could learn to do even more insane things like echolocation, or to track something by scent like a dog would.

Besides, isn't tin just way more common and slower burning than pewter? I could burn tin all day without spending significant money on metal, but if I were a pewterarm that may not be the case. 

[Myst He/Him]

I just want the balance/dexterity aspect of pewter, idc about the strength part.

Id find it more fun than being able to notice things. With Tin I’d need to practice to use it right, but because of the sensory overload I’d find myself not using it.

Pewter would definitely take some getting used to, but having it would also be nice if I’m making stupid decisions.

[Deception He/Him]

1 minute ago, Myst said:

I just want the balance/dexterity aspect of pewter, idc about the strength part.

Id find it more fun than being able to notice things. With Tin I’d need to practice to use it right, but because of the sensory overload I’d find myself not using it.

Pewter would definitely take some getting used to, but having it would also be nice if I’m making stupid decisions.

One of the reasons I would choose tin is because it takes a ton of practice to get good at, while pewter comes more naturally. It would feel like cheating if I was instantly a master.

[Verdance he/him]

tin would be more useful, my life doesn't involve a lot of physical activity, and the physical activity i do have, namely ridiculously long walks *i walked four hours to my library and back today send help* would be invalidated by pewter or doesn't really need pewter

[Unintelligenius he/him]

On 2/17/2025 at 8:42 AM, Your average nerd said:

In my opinion being a pewter arm is beater because you can be like Ham also tin is not nice when you hear a loud noise. 

Pewter would be more beneficial to me because of the endurance and strength it gives, especially in cross country and track, and a little extra strength when you need it would always be nice. Though if the mists actually existed, then I would probably choose tineye because of the distinct advantage it gives at night.

[Trusk'our he/him]

You know, I initially chose pewter because I imagined it would be cool to be stronger and faster, but figured it wouldn't be super useful in modern society. 

Honestly, I now want pewter because of just how great it would be for my current job. Ignore aches and pains, work quicker, lift easier and for longer.

It probably wouldn't even be expensive to maintain- lead and tin aren't super expensive, and Allomantic metals actually get you a lot of bang for your buck.

Could probably pull overtime easily too, even at a desk job.

[+robardin he/him]

8 minutes ago, Trusk'our said:

You know, I initially chose pewter because I imagined it would be cool to be stronger and faster, but figured it wouldn't be super useful in modern society. 

Honestly, I now want pewter because of just how great it would be for my current job. Ignore aches and pains, work quicker, lift easier and for longer.

It probably wouldn't even be expensive to maintain- lead and tin aren't super expensive, and Allomantic metals actually get you a lot of bang for your buck.

Could probably pull overtime easily too, even at a desk job.

That’s a depressing thought.

Imagine in Ghostbloods Mistborn Era 3, we see some descendant of Ham’s burning the midnight pewter while trying to reconcile a spreadsheet on a 1980s era PC equivalent, and reflecting how “once, Allomancers like him were called Thugs, prized warriors or at least, bodyguards, for the advantages of having bursts of strength, recovery, and agility. Now, with aluminum guns and bullets commonplace, pewter was now most useful for professional sports leagues that permitted it, and for the endurance it granted. Like in long-distance airship piloting, long-haul trucking, and untangling accounts receivable, he thought wryly.”

[Trusk'our he/him]

31 minutes ago, robardin said:

That’s a depressing thought.

Imagine in Ghostbloods Mistborn Era 3, we see some descendant of Ham’s burning the midnight pewter while trying to reconcile a spreadsheet on a 1980s era PC equivalent, and reflecting how “once, Allomancers like him were called Thugs, prized warriors or at least, bodyguards, for the advantages of having bursts of strength, recovery, and agility. Now, with aluminum guns and bullets commonplace, pewter was now most useful for professional sports leagues that permitted it, and for the endurance it granted. Like in long-distance airship piloting, long-haul trucking, and untangling accounts receivable, he thought wryly.”

Well, tbf, aluminum bullets are a lot less effective against Pewterarms than Bloodmakers.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/219-words-of-radiance-philadelphia-signing/#e6365

Kurkistan

What would happen if you shot a thug with an aluminum bullet or stabbed him with an aluminum knife?

Brandon Sanderson

Ah, that's a good question. The wound would not be able to heal around the aluminum, but once the aluminum came out and was gone from the system, they would be okay.

Kurkistan

Wait, is that a Bloodmaker, not a Thug?

Brandon Sanderson

Oh, you're talking about Thugs?

It would work similarly, but it really wouldn't have a huge effect on them.

Kurkistan

Alright, because Peter was implying that there was some weird aluminum interaction with Thugs.

Brandon Sanderson

What was he thinking of...?

There is some weird interaction but...

Kurkistan

In the wedding scene, Wax thinks they would have aluminum bullets to deal with Thugs, and I was like, "Oh, that's a typo." And Peter was like, "Oh no it's not..."

Brandon Sanderson

No, no. That would just be-- it's like I said: healing it until the bullet is gone, it's just the same as Bloodmakers.

 

Footnote: Referring to AoL sample chapter commentary.

But I am now stealing that character concept for the Mistborn RPG.

[Myst He/Him]

8 minutes ago, Trusk'our said:

Well, tbf, aluminum bullets are a lot less effective against Pewterarms than Bloodmakers.

  Reveal hidden contents

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/219-words-of-radiance-philadelphia-signing/#e6365

Kurkistan

What would happen if you shot a thug with an aluminum bullet or stabbed him with an aluminum knife?

Brandon Sanderson

Ah, that's a good question. The wound would not be able to heal around the aluminum, but once the aluminum came out and was gone from the system, they would be okay.

Kurkistan

Wait, is that a Bloodmaker, not a Thug?

Brandon Sanderson

Oh, you're talking about Thugs?

It would work similarly, but it really wouldn't have a huge effect on them.

Kurkistan

Alright, because Peter was implying that there was some weird aluminum interaction with Thugs.

Brandon Sanderson

What was he thinking of...?

There is some weird interaction but...

Kurkistan

In the wedding scene, Wax thinks they would have aluminum bullets to deal with Thugs, and I was like, "Oh, that's a typo." And Peter was like, "Oh no it's not..."

Brandon Sanderson

No, no. That would just be-- it's like I said: healing it until the bullet is gone, it's just the same as Bloodmakers.

 

Footnote: Referring to AoL sample chapter commentary.

But I am now stealing that character concept for the Mistborn RPG.

I might as well, but for D&D, so I’d have to find something else to do. But the idea is still amazing

[Frustration]

1 hour ago, robardin said:

That’s a depressing thought.

Imagine in Ghostbloods Mistborn Era 3, we see some descendant of Ham’s burning the midnight pewter while trying to reconcile a spreadsheet on a 1980s era PC equivalent, and reflecting how “once, Allomancers like him were called Thugs, prized warriors or at least, bodyguards, for the advantages of having bursts of strength, recovery, and agility. Now, with aluminum guns and bullets commonplace, pewter was now most useful for professional sports leagues that permitted it, and for the endurance it granted. Like in long-distance airship piloting, long-haul trucking, and untangling accounts receivable, he thought wryly.”

You know, as a kid I was often told "words will never hurt me."

Clearly they have never read this paragraph

[Qianweilian He/him]

5 minutes ago, Frustration said:

You know, as a kid I was often told "words will never hurt me."

Clearly they have never read this paragraph

The Coinshot: Wdym I can't just fly around pushing off random people's stuff?

[Frustration]

1 hour ago, robardin said:

That’s a depressing thought.

Imagine in Ghostbloods Mistborn Era 3, we see some descendant of Ham’s burning the midnight pewter while trying to reconcile a spreadsheet on a 1980s era PC equivalent, and reflecting how “once, Allomancers like him were called Thugs, prized warriors or at least, bodyguards, for the advantages of having bursts of strength, recovery, and agility. Now, with aluminum guns and bullets commonplace, pewter was now most useful for professional sports leagues that permitted it, and for the endurance it granted. Like in long-distance airship piloting, long-haul trucking, and untangling accounts receivable, he thought wryly.”

Okay, to save myself the pain this causes, I've figured out that zinc ferrings, would be better accountants, and bronze ferrings better long distance drivers