Could hoid get basically infinitely invested if he just sad on Taldain and absorbed investiture?

[-ACE- he/him]

I was just wondering this, because a friend mentioned something about it earlier. If its already been answered could someone give me to the link?

[Trusk'our he/him]

1 hour ago, FRENZEE said:

I was just wondering this, because a friend mentioned something about it earlier. If its already been answered could someone give me to the link?

I couldn't find any WoBs directly related to your question. Sorry.

I will say though, I don't believe we've actually seen Hoid absorbing Investiture the way Nomad does. Nomad has at least one ability that Hoid himself doesn't (Skipping), so I think it's possible Nomad's ability to consume Investiture is also unique to him.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/522-dragonsteel-2023/#e16235

Questioner

Is there a specific reason as to why Hoid cannot Skip, but Nomad can?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, there is a specific reason for that. I'll get into it someday. Let's just say the Skipping started because of a certain event, that probably I won't write a book to talk about, but you will get an answer to that someday I hope. So it's a RAFO, but a RAFO with a little bit of a promise.

Now, whether Nomad could just loaf around on Taldain to become highly Invested- yeah, that should work. I think it would be on the slower side, kind of like how he was able to absorb Invested light from Canticle's sun, but he might also be able to speed it up by drawing it from the sand, maybe getting it wet to release the stored Investiture first (funnily enough, he might be able to feed on Autonomy's sunlight even off world in the right places, though the effect would probably be extremely weak).

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/121-krakow-signing/#e4770

swieczq

Would someone with enough knowledge be able to use Autonomy’s Investiture if Taldain’s star was seen from his world?

Brandon Sanderson

So I’m on a world and I see Taldain’s star, what you're asking if someone could use the Investiture? Oh, OK I see. Yeah yeah yeah yeah. That’s good! You stumped me. I haven’t gotten that question before. I would say yes, if the light particles are reaching you. I mean technically you could use the light from one of those stars to power a solar sail so…

We know for a fact he can become more Invested than just the bare minimum to Skip, as he has fifteen hundred BEUs left over from his Skip to Canticle. Further more, it seems that he can become significantly more Invested than it, as he has the potential to exceed the God King's fifty thousand BEUs in the right circumstances.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/494-secret-project-4-reveal-and-livestream/#e15609

College_advice12

Who is more invested, Susebron or Nomad?

Brandon Sanderson

Nomad- uhhhh. Oh oh, that's a hard one. Nomad was, but is no longer. So Susebron. I was gonna say Nomad, but he doesn't have the Dawnshard anymore. So not anymore, Susebron would be more invested than he would be at this point. But Nomad can feed upon Investiture, so he could overtake that threshold in the right circumstances. But not currently. Currently he can't even get himself Connected to the planet to speak the language, so.

Just how high Nomad's ceiling is, I don't know. Maybe he could Ascend to become something of a Vessel, but part of me doubts that- the concentration of Investiture required may demand a Shard's will, perhaps similar to how dragons are too Invested to make use of most other Investitures- but not Invested enough to bypass this limitation.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/538-fanx-2024/#e16654

Questioner

Are the dragons in the Cosmere compatible with the current Investiture systems you've introduced? Or would they even care to use them?

Brandon Sanderson

So, when you talk about dragons in the Cosmere there's generally two branches. The dragons from Yolen are kind of... you can imagine their inspirations as being a little bit along the lines of Tolkien elves—they predate humans, they are very long-lived, and they act like deities to people. People actually pray to them and they can respond through the bond by sending something very equivalent to a Soothing or a Rioting to those who follow them, to bolster them, give them courage, or to take away their fear, or things like that.  They are one style of dragon, you will find dragons that are on other planets that have been created in their image, so to speak, that don't have some of those deific powers.

And so it really depends, is the answer. The Yolen dragons are not really interested in other Investiture, they're highly Invested themselves and most of the magic systems, they wouldn't be able to use, in the same way that trying to Push or Pull on a Shardblade wouldn't do anything because of the high levels of Investiture. They just are already so full that they would not be able to use most of them. What you might call the "lesser dragons", they could theoretically.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/3-firefight-chicago-signing/#e69

Argent

Can a Returned like Lightsong go to Roshar and form a bond with a spren?

Brandon Sanderson

Investiture interferes with other Investiture.

Argent

And they have a lot of it.

Brandon Sanderson

And they have a lot of it. That is not-- It's not completely-- For instance you can Push on Invested metal, but it's hard. There's a resistance, the more Invested the harder-- So a bond for instance-- forming a bond-- It's, yeah-- It can be done--

I mean Sazed took two of the powers up, right? But I kind of imagine what he did as a nuclear reaction. Where breaking an atom is hard, unless you are in the middle of a sun. And he was in the middle of the sun. At that point--

Argent

There was a lot of stuff going on around him that facilitated.

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, definitely. But when you've got that much power you'll-- In other words if there is a lot of power going around, these things become easier.

Argent

So, possible but difficult is--

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Hope this helps answer a similar line of questions at least!

Edited October 3, 2025 by Trusk'our

[alder24]

18 hours ago, FRENZEE said:

I was just wondering this, because a friend mentioned something about it earlier. If its already been answered could someone give me to the link?

Infinitely invested? That’s not possible, there are strong limitations on how much investiture your body can hold. Exceed those and your body will be vaporized and you will Ascend. That’s what Vin did using the power of the Well in WoA and when she Ascended to Preservation consuming Mists in HoA.

Spoiler

Kaimipono

Allomancy is fueled by Preservation's body? How exactly does that work? And how does that interact with atium—it's fueled by both gods' bodies?

Brandon Sanderson

The powers of Ruin and Preservation are Shards of Adonalsium, pieces of the power of creation itself. Allomancy, Hemalurgy, Feruchemy are manifestations of this power in mortal form, the ability to touch the powers of creation and use them. These metallic powers are how people's physical forms interpret the use of the Shard, though it's not the only possible way they could be interpreted or used. It's what the genetics and Realmatic interactions of Scadrial allow for, and has to do with the Spiritual, the Cognitive, and the Physical Realms.

Condensed 'essence' of these godly powers can act as super-fuel for Allomancy, Feruchemy, or really any of the powers. The form of that super fuel is important. In liquid form it's most potent, in gas form it's able to fuel Allomancy as if working as a metal. In physical form it is rigid and does one specific thing. In the case of atium, it allows sight into the future. In the case of concentrated Preservation, it gives one a permanent connection to the mists and the powers of creation. (I.e., it makes them an Allomancer.)

So when a person is burning metals, they aren't using Preservation's body as a fuel so to speak—though they are tapping into the powers of creation just slightly. When Vin burns the mists, however, she'd doing just that—using the essence of Preservation, the Shard of Adonalsium itself—to fuel Allomancy. Doing this, however, rips 'troughs' through her body. It's like forcing far too much pressure through a very small, fragile hose. That much power eventually vaporizes the corporeal host, which is acting as the block and forcing the power into a single type of conduit (Allomancy) and frees it to be more expansive.

Hero of Ages Q&A - Time Waster's Guide (Oct. 15, 2008)

 

[-ACE- he/him]

Thats why I said basically

On 10/4/2025 at 5:37 AM, alder24 said:

Infinitely invested? That’s not possible, there are strong limitations on how much investiture your body can hold. Exceed those and your body will be vaporized and you will Ascend. That’s what Vin did using the power of the Well in WoA and when she Ascended to Preservation consuming Mists in HoA.

  Reveal hidden contents

Kaimipono

Allomancy is fueled by Preservation's body? How exactly does that work? And how does that interact with atium—it's fueled by both gods' bodies?

Brandon Sanderson

The powers of Ruin and Preservation are Shards of Adonalsium, pieces of the power of creation itself. Allomancy, Hemalurgy, Feruchemy are manifestations of this power in mortal form, the ability to touch the powers of creation and use them. These metallic powers are how people's physical forms interpret the use of the Shard, though it's not the only possible way they could be interpreted or used. It's what the genetics and Realmatic interactions of Scadrial allow for, and has to do with the Spiritual, the Cognitive, and the Physical Realms.

Condensed 'essence' of these godly powers can act as super-fuel for Allomancy, Feruchemy, or really any of the powers. The form of that super fuel is important. In liquid form it's most potent, in gas form it's able to fuel Allomancy as if working as a metal. In physical form it is rigid and does one specific thing. In the case of atium, it allows sight into the future. In the case of concentrated Preservation, it gives one a permanent connection to the mists and the powers of creation. (I.e., it makes them an Allomancer.)

So when a person is burning metals, they aren't using Preservation's body as a fuel so to speak—though they are tapping into the powers of creation just slightly. When Vin burns the mists, however, she'd doing just that—using the essence of Preservation, the Shard of Adonalsium itself—to fuel Allomancy. Doing this, however, rips 'troughs' through her body. It's like forcing far too much pressure through a very small, fragile hose. That much power eventually vaporizes the corporeal host, which is acting as the block and forcing the power into a single type of conduit (Allomancy) and frees it to be more expansive.

Hero of Ages Q&A - Time Waster's Guide (Oct. 15, 2008)