Future application of Tension

[Sythrin]

We saw in Wind and truth the first realy usage of Tension.

For one you can make soft materials harder. Which can for example turn normal clothes in armor and bandages into swords and knifes. Which is a bit redudant for a Knight as they get plate and blade which is in most cases just better.

But we see the fused as well using cord like objects to coil around them and compress.

In the future it could be used, I believe, for transportational uses. It could maybe compress cargo and other objects to a more managable size. While the weight is not decressed probably. It could decreese its volume. Allowing for transporting more goods, depending on the weight of course.

Or you could transport concealed objects. Like a spring-sword that is compressed to the size of a fingercup. The blade would need of course be build sufficiently for it. Similar to memory foam.

[Erremin]

1 minute ago, Sythrin said:

Which is a bit redudant for a Knight as they get plate and blade which is in most cases just better.

Of course most Knights don't reach plate, and a lot won't reach blade, so it's still useful for early Stonewards. 

 

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

5 minutes ago, Sythrin said:

In the future it could be used, I believe, for transportational uses. It could maybe compress cargo and other objects to a more managable size. While the weight is not decressed probably. It could decreese its volume. Allowing for transporting more goods, depending on the weight of course.

The increased density may break whatever is carrying it, so you'll need to be careful with this.

But, these are some cool ideas.

[Sythrin]

1 hour ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

The increased density may break whatever is carrying it, so you'll need to be careful with this.

 

Well depends on what you want to condense.

Like raw materials. For example raw metal to transport.

[BinarySecond]

Taking a look at the Fused variant that uses tension is probably a good place to start.

 

I personally am thinking about the engineering applications of tension. Give Navani some stonewards and see what they can develop.

[Jult]

I'm just going to spitball a bunch of ideas without thinking them through:

• There's plenty of artistic/engineering applications for making any material easy to manipulate and then hardening it back to normal once it's in position:
  • Intricate fabrial cages
  • Reshaping metal/glass without any heat
  • Do what the Focused Ones do to create tightly wound springs/mechanisms
• Combat applications seem pretty straightforward:
  • Soften your opponent's weapons
  • Harden your opponent's clothes to immobilize them - or throw a cape/sheet at them and harden it around them
  • Create a weapon out of anything
  • Probably some good potential for traps and stuff (ie trap doors or collapsing walls/ceilings by softening integral parts of them)
• Utility:
  • Pop-up camps. Pack some sheets and rope in your backpack. Make the rope into poles later for a very portable tent.
    • Side note - every tent is a temporary fort when you can harden its walls
  • "Lockpicking". A soft lock isn't stopping anyone. Not that this is really helpful to someone with a Shardblade.
  • Bridges. Throw a sheet over any gap and harden it. Note: I'm starting to think that all Stonewards should just keep long lengths of rope and sheets on them at all times.

I think the biggest limitation is how temporary most of these solutions will be. If you harden a shirt into a club, does it stay a club? Or will it revert to its normal rigidity once you run out of Stormlight? My guess would be that it would have similar mechanics and durations for applying a Lightweaving to an object. So, your tent may not last all night if you don't pump it full of Stormlight.

[DoctaDajman]

3 hours ago, Jult said:

I'm just going to spitball a bunch of ideas without thinking them through:

• There's plenty of artistic/engineering applications for making any material easy to manipulate and then hardening it back to normal once it's in position:
  • Intricate fabrial cages
  • Reshaping metal/glass without any heat
  • Do what the Focused Ones do to create tightly wound springs/mechanisms
• Combat applications seem pretty straightforward:
  • Soften your opponent's weapons
  • Harden your opponent's clothes to immobilize them - or throw a cape/sheet at them and harden it around them
  • Create a weapon out of anything
  • Probably some good potential for traps and stuff (ie trap doors or collapsing walls/ceilings by softening integral parts of them)
• Utility:
  • Pop-up camps. Pack some sheets and rope in your backpack. Make the rope into poles later for a very portable tent.
    • Side note - every tent is a temporary fort when you can harden its walls
  • "Lockpicking". A soft lock isn't stopping anyone. Not that this is really helpful to someone with a Shardblade.
  • Bridges. Throw a sheet over any gap and harden it. Note: I'm starting to think that all Stonewards should just keep long lengths of rope and sheets on them at all times.

I think the biggest limitation is how temporary most of these solutions will be. If you harden a shirt into a club, does it stay a club? Or will it revert to its normal rigidity once you run out of Stormlight? My guess would be that it would have similar mechanics and durations for applying a Lightweaving to an object. So, your tent may not last all night if you don't pump it full of Stormlight.

I like this post but I am curious if we have any evidence that Tension can be used from a range or if one has to be touching an item to utilize it. Making an enemies sword a floppy pool noodle would be great. But if you can touch it long enough to use the ability what else could you have done to end that conflict sooner?  

I agree with your last statement. Carrying sheets and ropes are a must. It is no wonder it is my favorite surge. I also love awakening and would love to see the two interact. 

It is probably the easiest path to creating a threaded cane. 

It would also be awesome if tension could control the shape of an item and choose to give a rope that has been effected some.hinges within itself. 

[Jult]

2 hours ago, DoctaDajman said:

I like this post but I am curious if we have any evidence that Tension can be used from a range or if one has to be touching an item to utilize it. Making an enemies sword a floppy pool noodle would be great. But if you can touch it long enough to use the ability what else could you have done to end that conflict sooner? 

I don't think we know if it can be used at range. If I had to guess, I'd say no. But I'm not imagining that it would take a long time to turn the sword floppy. It doesn't take a very long moment of contact for Kaladin to use Adhesion on weapons coming at him. I imagine it would be a similar speed to that.

[Rorzikel]

"Pistons" from materials that elongate, acting as a motor that turns stormlight into mechanical motion.

Lightweight structural frameworks, like making tentpoles and fabrics into steel-strength.

Rapier and fencing style weapons made from thin wire or thread.

[BinarySecond]

On 6/28/2025 at 11:39 PM, Rorzikel said:

"Pistons" from materials that elongate, acting as a motor that turns stormlight into mechanical motion.

Lightweight structural frameworks, like making tentpoles and fabrics into steel-strength.

Rapier and fencing style weapons made from thin wire or thread.

All weaponry eventually becomes monofilament. It's just like everything becoming crabs.

[Isilel]

On 6/23/2025 at 11:17 AM, Erremin said:

Of course most Knights don't reach plate, and a lot won't reach blade, so it's still useful for early Stonewards. 

 

 

Not just early ones. Didn't Dami, the 4th Ideal Stoneward in WaT have long cloth  ribbons tied to his shardplate for extra offensive power?

[+Kelkamer]

On 6/30/2025 at 9:19 AM, Isilel said:

 

Not just early ones. Didn't Dami, the 4th Ideal Stoneward in WaT have long cloth  ribbons tied to his shardplate for extra offensive power?

He did! The way it was described made me think he almost used them in the same way an awakened might use awakened ribbons in combat.

[PanicPug]

We're talking Tension here (hardening naturally soft materials), not Cohesion (softening naturally hard materials), right?

One amazing application I learned through the RPG books:

Spoiler

 You can use it to walk on water and other liquids by manipulation of the surface tension.

Also it's one of the Bondsmiths' surges and those don't get Blade or Plate so being able to turn their clothes into invested armour and weapons sounds quite practical.

[DoctaDajman]

On 8/5/2025 at 1:34 AM, PanicPug said:

We're talking Tension here (hardening naturally soft materials), not Cohesion (softening naturally hard materials), right?

One amazing application I learned through the RPG books:

  Reveal hidden contents

 You can use it to walk on water and other liquids by manipulation of the surface tension.

Also it's one of the Bondsmiths' surges and those don't get Blade or Plate so being able to turn their clothes into invested armour and weapons sounds quite practical.

I'll be honest... this post alone makes me revisit years old thoughts on Stonewards. Definately my favorite order without a doubt. 

On 7/1/2025 at 7:18 PM, Kelkamer said:

He did! The way it was described made me think he almost used them in the same way an awakened might use awakened ribbons in combat.

My question is, we see stone shaping via the will of the user right?  Would this then allow a stoneward to not only harden soft materials and shape them, but also soften hard materials and shape them to their will?  

One of my favorite imaginings is the iron spider suit from the MCU. In the past I imagined it as awakened ropes /steel cables and they would work on their own based on their interpretation of a command. 

But with this would it be the stoneward who can invest some chains and control / distort and manipulate them to their own will in real time?  Like honestly a lot cheaper way of doing a super cool thing IMO. Get some ropes /chains / steel cables and infuse them with stormlight manipulating the molecular bonds over and over again to create some legit doc ock arms? 

[Honorless he/him]

I really hope to see someone (preferably Taln) use Tension to turn the ground into a trampoline and go *boing!* And it being treated as a serious moment in-world

[Sythrin]

17 hours ago, Honorless said:

I really hope to see someone (preferably Taln) use Tension to turn the ground into a trampoline and go *boing!* And it being treated as a serious moment in-world

Appearently more One Piece fans here.

[Jult]

9 hours ago, Sythrin said:

Appearently more One Piece fans here.

Diamante was one of the first things that came to my mind when I learned what Stonewards could do.

[DoctaDajman]

On 8/9/2025 at 10:06 AM, Honorless said:

I really hope to see someone (preferably Taln) use Tension to turn the ground into a trampoline and go *boing!* And it being treated as a serious moment in-world

This is actually a really dope thought. 

I dont know how much stonewards can manipulate matter but it seems like they could almost replicate the feats seen by the boy in "Race to Witch Mountain".

A stoneward with iron feruchemy could pull off the most bonkers feats!