Aluminum savant

[Honors Spectral Image She/her]

So I was just thinking, if someone could become an aluminum savant like what would the affects of that be, would it make it so no one can riot or soothe them? Likeeeee idk

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

Here's your WOB on this exact subject

Spoiler

Douglas

What benefit does an aluminum savant get? Yes, I know this would normally never happen because aluminum burns itself up. Suppose a mad scientist with a willing Mistborn test subject shoved a feeding tube down the Mistborn's throat to pump in a continuous stream of aluminum, replenishing it steadily so there's always a new unburned supply. Add another tube to pump out excess water if necessary. What would he discover? Alternatively, what would Sazed with his Shard-granted knowledge know?

Brandon Sanderson

Ha, that IS a little silly of a method. However, on the extreme end of aluminum, I have in the notes the possibility of cleansing the spirit of unwanted effects of other Investitures. You'd get really good at this, and maybe even be able to cleanse the body of other impurities.

 

[Honors Spectral Image She/her]

21 minutes ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

Here's your WOB on this exact subject

  Hide contents

Douglas

What benefit does an aluminum savant get? Yes, I know this would normally never happen because aluminum burns itself up. Suppose a mad scientist with a willing Mistborn test subject shoved a feeding tube down the Mistborn's throat to pump in a continuous stream of aluminum, replenishing it steadily so there's always a new unburned supply. Add another tube to pump out excess water if necessary. What would he discover? Alternatively, what would Sazed with his Shard-granted knowledge know?

Brandon Sanderson

Ha, that IS a little silly of a method. However, on the extreme end of aluminum, I have in the notes the possibility of cleansing the spirit of unwanted effects of other Investitures. You'd get really good at this, and maybe even be able to cleanse the body of other impurities.

 

Wow thanks that’s awesome

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

ALUMINUM GNATS WILL BE USEFUL

Maybe we'll see some entriprising experimenters in Era 3-4... now that aluminum will be signifigantly easier to obtain.

[Honors Spectral Image She/her]

Just now, CoderDrag0n8 said:

ALUMINUM GNATS WILL BE USEFUL

Maybe we'll see some entriprising experimenters in Era 3-4... now that aluminum will be signifigantly easier to obtain.

yes!

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

Of course Aluminum Gnats will be useful, when Allomantic Grenades become more mainstream Ghants will have a way to leverage their powers in an external manner like Marasi did with her Slow Bubbles.

WOB states that an Allomantic Grenade charged with A-Aluminum will create an 'Allomantic Deadzone' where no one can use Allomancy.

Spoiler

Rodrigo

What would be the difference between an aluminum and a chromium grenade, and between nicrosil and duralumin grenades?

Brandon Sanderson

We're talking specifically about the Bands of Mourning ones?

*Matt affirms*

So, what would be the difference? Aluminum would create a sort of "You can't use Allomancy in this... nearby this" most likely, yeah. Duralumin would do the opposite. You would be able to use it and then enhance someone. I haven't played with the ranges on these things yet, and so that's where we get into kind of the question mark territory. Like, right now, I haven't really given them an area of effect unless the power itself has an area of effect. Does that make sense?

But, my intent is to get to the point where it's doing things like this, right. Where you could theoretically be an Aluminum Gnat, you could charge this thing up and throw. And hey, you know, you have... the Metalborn nearby are unable to use their talents. That's convenient, right? Like, I want more of the powers to be relevant and these grenades are a way to do that.

In fact, that's perhaps the best guess I have on why the Bands of Mourning were 'Drained' during TLM, the Malwish used one of these to make everyone in that room incapable of using Allomancy, and presumably from using Feruchemy and cutting off the Band's Unsealed Nicrosilminds, thus making it appear that they had been drained into a useless hunk of metal, when actuality the Malwish just pulled the wool over the Northen Barbarian's eyes with their more advanced Magitech.

[DoctaDajman]

23 hours ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

Of course Aluminum Gnats will be useful, when Allomantic Grenades become more mainstream Ghants will have a way to leverage their powers in an external manner like Marasi did with her Slow Bubbles.

WOB states that an Allomantic Grenade charged with A-Aluminum will create an 'Allomantic Deadzone' where no one can use Allomancy.

  Reveal hidden contents

Rodrigo

What would be the difference between an aluminum and a chromium grenade, and between nicrosil and duralumin grenades?

Brandon Sanderson

We're talking specifically about the Bands of Mourning ones?

*Matt affirms*

So, what would be the difference? Aluminum would create a sort of "You can't use Allomancy in this... nearby this" most likely, yeah. Duralumin would do the opposite. You would be able to use it and then enhance someone. I haven't played with the ranges on these things yet, and so that's where we get into kind of the question mark territory. Like, right now, I haven't really given them an area of effect unless the power itself has an area of effect. Does that make sense?

But, my intent is to get to the point where it's doing things like this, right. Where you could theoretically be an Aluminum Gnat, you could charge this thing up and throw. And hey, you know, you have... the Metalborn nearby are unable to use their talents. That's convenient, right? Like, I want more of the powers to be relevant and these grenades are a way to do that.

In fact, that's perhaps the best guess I have on why the Bands of Mourning were 'Drained' during TLM, the Malwish used one of these to make everyone in that room incapable of using Allomancy, and presumably from using Feruchemy and cutting off the Band's Unsealed Nicrosilminds, thus making it appear that they had been drained into a useless hunk of metal, when actuality the Malwish just pulled the wool over the Northen Barbarian's eyes with their more advanced Magitech.

I dig this theory. 

Do you think that aluminum grenade would work as a cosmere wide anti investiture tool?  What effects do you think that could have on invested entities? 

Cosmere wide spoilers:

Spoiler

Do you think this could kill a returned?  Or desummon shardplate or blade? Certainly, I imagine it would wipe light from gems and those holding it. 

Other folks be working hard on anti investiture specific to the type of investiture it is but aluminum mistings with allomantic grenades be dropping anti investiture fields likes its nothing. 

 

It is bonkers how the future of magic in the cosmere seems to be everyone doing everything that they can to make it so magic just doesnt work. 

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

19 hours ago, DoctaDajman said:

I dig this theory. 

Do you think that aluminum grenade would work as a cosmere wide anti investiture tool?  What effects do you think that could have on invested entities? 

Cosmere wide spoilers:

  Hide contents

Do you think this could kill a returned?  Or desummon shardplate or blade? Certainly, I imagine it would wipe light from gems and those holding it. 

Other folks be working hard on anti investiture specific to the type of investiture it is but aluminum mistings with allomantic grenades be dropping anti investiture fields likes its nothing. 

 

It is bonkers how the future of magic in the cosmere seems to be everyone doing everything that they can to make it so magic just doesnt work. 

I'm pretty sure that an A-Aluminum Grenade is more about prevention of use than outright nullification like Leechers. So maybe if used on Surgebinders, it might prevent them from using Surges but not healing with Stormlight that they already have in their bodies maybe?

Spoiler

-Draining the Divine Breath of a Returned? I think a Leecher would be better suited. A-Aluminum Grenades sound like they'd just shut off some of their Heightenings like Lifesense and stop them from Awakening.

-Desummoning Shardplate/Blades? Probably not, probably just preventing their summoning in the first place. I'm really not sure on how you could force those to desummon, but I don't think A-Aluminum is it.

-Anti-Investiture explodes and can kill the otherwise unkillable, from what I can tell, A-Aluminum would just be a non-lethal kryptonite.

 

[DoctaDajman]

2 hours ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

I'm pretty sure that an A-Aluminum Grenade is more about prevention of use than outright nullification like Leechers. So maybe if used on Surgebinders, it might prevent them from using Surges but not healing with Stormlight that they already have in their bodies maybe?

  Hide contents

-Draining the Divine Breath of a Returned? I think a Leecher would be better suited. A-Aluminum Grenades sound like they'd just shut off some of their Heightenings like Lifesense and stop them from Awakening.

-Desummoning Shardplate/Blades? Probably not, probably just preventing their summoning in the first place. I'm really not sure on how you could force those to desummon, but I don't think A-Aluminum is it.

-Anti-Investiture explodes and can kill the otherwise unkillable, from what I can tell, A-Aluminum would just be a non-lethal kryptonite.

 

I guess I have frequently struggled with whether those enhancement metals interact with the investiture at all or just the metal. Because aluminum totally burns all metals within the mistborn at once allowing no use at all. Why then wouldnt it be like an AoE leeching grenade? 

It seemed odd that aluminum would just do exactly what chromium does but i am curious about that. 

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

10 minutes ago, DoctaDajman said:

I guess I have frequently struggled with whether those enhancement metals interact with the investiture at all or just the metal. Because aluminum totally burns all metals within the mistborn at once allowing no use at all. Why then wouldnt it be like an AoE leeching grenade? 

It seemed odd that aluminum would just do exactly what chromium does but i am curious about that. 

We've gotten some WOBs on how a Leecher affects other Invested Arts, and they also have a very similar effect to Larkins and we know how those work for Stormlight. So it isn't too hard to extrapolate.

And I dunno, the wording on the WOB about Aluminum Grenades just seemed pretty specific, but then again those are only sorta canon until something about it is brought up for or against it in the books, so who knows?

Still, if the External and Internal Enhancement metals all did the exact same things when used in Allomantic Grenades, that'd be a little boring wouldn't it?