Scadrial Rhythms

[NovaOmen Any/All(Get creative!!!)]

Heyo! I've been trying to take my mind off the cosmere and have been failing. So I started working on what I can for Spikes and Steel, even though I have no clue what is or isn't in the Mistborn Rpg I can guess they won't be talking about Singers much.

So here are 33 Rhythms each metallic art pulses. Human seekers wouldn't realize these are rhythms, but give a singer a hemalugic spike charged with allomantic bronze and voila! Let me know if these seem fitting, I want to get some feedback well before I create the beta.
Rhythm of the Mist - Counterpart to Peace
Physical Rhythms
- Rhythm of Envy (A-Iron)
- Rhythm of Consequence (F-Iron)
- Rhythm of Separation (A-Steel)
- Rhythm of Alacrity (F-Steel)
- Rhythm of Receptivity (A-Tin) Vulnerability?
- Rhythm of Apathy (F-Tin)
- Rhythm of Persistence (A-Pewter) Abidance? 
- Rhythm of Authority (F-Pewter)

Cognitive Rhythms
- Rhythm of Indignation (A-Zinc) Outrage?
- Rhythm of Acuity (F-Zinc)
- Rhythm of Serenity (A-Brass) Conciliation?
- Rhythm of Warmth (F-Brass)
- Rhythm of Paranoia (A-Copper)
- Rhythm of Remembrance (F-Copper)
- Rhythm of Songs? (A-Bronze)
- Rhythm of Vigilance (F-Bronze)

Spiritual Rhythms
- Rhythm of Fraudulence (A-Chromium)
- Rhythm of Opportunity (F-Chromium)
- Rhythm of Concession (A-Nicrosil) Compliance?
- Rhythm of Fascination (F-Nicrosil) Legends?
- Rhythm of Humility (A-Aluminium)
- Rhythm of Pride (F-Aluminium)
- Rhythm of Intensity (A-Duralumin)
- Rhythm of Comprehension (F-Duralumin)

Temporal Rhythms
- Rhythm of Lethargy (A-Cadmium)
- Rhythm of Suspense (F-Cadmium)
- Rhythm of Contemplation (A-Bendalloy)
- Rhythm of Hunger? (F-Bendalloy)
- Rhythm of Guilt (A-Gold)
- Rhythm of Recuperation (F-Gold) Amelioration?
- Rhythm of Hesitance (A-Electrum)
- Rhythm of Perseverance (F-Electrum)

Edited March 9 by NovaOmen

[PanLin they/he]

Fun project!

On 3/8/2026 at 11:49 PM, NovaOmen said:

33 Rhythms

I could be wrong, but there are only 32 listed, which makes sense. If the extra is Preservation's, why not include Ruin too?

EDIT: Ah, just seen 'Rhythm of the Mist - Counterpart to Peace', sorry! I assume that's Harmony's, then? If so, I'm not sure 'Peace' entirely lines up with Harmony's Intent.

 

As for the names themselves, a lot of it is quite subjective so I probs won't go line-by-line; they mostly sound cool and thematic though!

Also, something interesting to consider that I haven't really thought about before—A-Bronze detects kinetic Investiture, not static. Stored metalminds don't have a rhythm themselves, but tapping and filling them do. All of the rhythms we do know of are quite directional (eg: Amusement and Irritation are different rhythms, not two expressions of the same rhythm of Reaction or whatever). Allomancy is obviously monodirectional (burn the metal, get the ability) but feruchemy is bidirectional.

Does that mean that feruchemical rhythms should have two rhythms? One for storing, one for tapping (eg: F-Tin could produce either the rhythm of Awareness or Ignorance)? Or is it just the one rhythm as an increase of that attribute, and the difference between storing and tapping is just whether the attribute is increasing in the metalmind or in the feruchemist?

It all raises a fun question, too. If someone were able to perfectly recreate, say, the Rhythm of Envy while holding some Investiture, could they emulate an iron-pull?

That all said, assuming one rhythm per metalmind, a few do stick out to me. If I don't mention one, assume I think it's great. And please bear in mind, all of this is wildly subjective and you have no reason to take any of my suggestions into consideration!

 

Physical Rhythms

Spoiler

On 3/8/2026 at 11:49 PM, NovaOmen said:

- Rhythm of Envy (A-Iron)
- Rhythm of Consequence (F-Iron)
- Rhythm of Separation (A-Steel)
- Rhythm of Alacrity (F-Steel)
- Rhythm of Receptivity (A-Tin) Vulnerability?
- Rhythm of Apathy (F-Tin)
- Rhythm of Persistence (A-Pewter) Abidance? 
- Rhythm of Authority (F-Pewter)

Alacrity and Authority are *chef's kiss*.

Consequence feels off but I can't place why. I think it implies movement too strongly. Maybe Presence would be better?

I think generally speaking, the allomantic metals should be more active, and the feruchemical ones more passive. To that end, maybe Insight for A-Tin and Awareness for F-Tin (to borrow from the Kandra blessing)?

A-Pewter should have more oomph to it imo. Could literally just be Rhythm of Strength? Momentum? (though that might be better for F-Electrum)

 

Cognitive Rhythms

Spoiler

On 3/8/2026 at 11:49 PM, NovaOmen said:

- Rhythm of Indignation (A-Zinc) Outrage?
- Rhythm of Acuity (F-Zinc)
- Rhythm of Serenity (A-Brass) Conciliation?
- Rhythm of Warmth (F-Brass)
- Rhythm of Paranoia (A-Copper)
- Rhythm of Remembrance (F-Copper)
- Rhythm of Songs? (A-Bronze)
- Rhythm of Vigilance (F-Bronze)

A-Zinc increases any emotions, not specific ones; this could easily be Mania, maybe Anxiety.

We know Soothing Stations were used to basically keep the Skaa depressed. This one would be a better fit for Apathy than F-Tin. Or you could lean into old Bipolar terminology and call this one Depression to counter A-Zinc's Mania.

Imo Paranoia has the wrong connotations for A-Copper; something like Isolation would fit better.

Why not Rhythm of Attunement for A-Bronze? That's basically what it allows Seekers to do.

 

Spiritual Rhythms

Spoiler

On 3/8/2026 at 11:49 PM, NovaOmen said:

- Rhythm of Fraudulence (A-Chromium)
- Rhythm of Opportunity (F-Chromium)
- Rhythm of Concession (A-Nicrosil) Compliance?
- Rhythm of Fascination (F-Nicrosil) Legends?
- Rhythm of Humility (A-Aluminium)
- Rhythm of Pride (F-Aluminium)
- Rhythm of Intensity (A-Duralumin)
- Rhythm of Comprehension (F-Duralumin)

Fraudulence feels a bit out of left field. Could use Denial or Impotence instead?

For F-Chromium, I mean, Fortune is right there  otherwise, sure, Opportunity works.

Not sure about either of the Nicrosil ones. All Metallic Arts associate Nicrosil with Investiture, so it could be considered the spiritual counterpart to Pewter and either Zinc or Copper. I'd love to suggest Endowment for A-Nicrosil, but obvs that's taken, so maybe Empowerment or Encouragement for A-Nicrosil, and Elevation or literally just Investment for F-Nicrosil? 

Pride for F-Aluminum's Identity is fantastic, so F-Duralumin should mirror that to represent what it means to have a stronger Connection. Something like Empathy or Alignment. Basically, I don't think the conscious understanding that Comprehension implies is necessary or even all that strongly related to Connection.

 

Temporal Rhythms

Spoiler

On 3/8/2026 at 11:49 PM, NovaOmen said:

- Rhythm of Lethargy (A-Cadmium)
- Rhythm of Suspense (F-Cadmium)
- Rhythm of Contemplation (A-Bendalloy)
- Rhythm of Hunger? (F-Bendalloy)
- Rhythm of Guilt (A-Gold)
- Rhythm of Recuperation (F-Gold) Amelioration?
- Rhythm of Hesitance (A-Electrum)
- Rhythm of Perseverance (F-Electrum)

Ah jeez, sorry, I apparently don't agree with your temporal naming at all  Perseverance works well, though!

The external temporal allomantic metals should be two sides of the same coin, but currently they seem a bit mismatched, and I'm not sure about the physical and cognitive implications of them. Something like Impatience or Anxiety for A-Cadmium and Patience for A-Bendalloy might suit the overall emotional theme of rhythms better? Or if you wanted to leave the emotional connotations too and use purely temporal terms, they could literally just be Contraction and Dilation (the actual scientific terms for time compressing and stretching for an observer).

Same for the internal ones; Guilt seems too directionally loaded (similar to what I said about A-Zinc) and Hesitance just feels out of place. I think a more neutral Reflection would be good for A-Gold, and something directly related to the future like Forethought. Heck, you could even take inspiration from Greek myth and use Hindsight and Foresight.

Suspense is a very literal interpretation for breath  I do enjoy that, and I suppose there's nothing wrong with it, but personally I'd swap it for something that represents either the effects of increased oxygenation or the concept of being able to survive in places you shouldn't, something like Sustenance or Sufficiency or Saturation. Unsure on this one tbh.

I also got stuck on Energy for a bit; there's a lot of overlap conceptually with Breath, Investiture, Healing and Strength. If A-Nicrosil sticks to Encouragement, then I think Empowerment could be a good one for this.

Apologies if you already know this, but something to remember about healing and regrowth in the Cosmere is that they're a bit tainted conceptually by mortals' understanding of 'healing'. When someone accesses Progression or F-Gold, what's actually happening is they're using Investiture to create, recreate or shape a physical body to better match its cognitive perception of itself (it's why Edgedancers and Truthwatchers can't heal super old wounds; that wound has become part of the person's image of themselves). It doesn't necessarily recuperate or ameliorate. With that in mind, a better name for this rhythm might literally be Embodiment, or maybe Quintessence or Manifestation.

 

To summarise, my suggested list would be (and again, I'm not trying to say this is better than yours, it's all just personal preference):

Spoiler

Rhythms of Scadrial
- Rhythm of the Mists (Harmony)
- Rhythm of Survival (Preservation)
- Rhythm of Decay (Ruin)
- Rhythm of Strife (Discord)
- Rhythm of Agency (Autonomy—she's involved enough with Scadrial to be included imo)

Physical Rhythms
- Rhythm of Envy (A-Iron)
- Rhythm of Presence (F-Iron)
- Rhythm of Separation (A-Steel)
- Rhythm of Alacrity (F-Steel)
- Rhythm of Insight (A-Tin)
- Rhythm of Awareness (F-Tin)
- Rhythm of Persistence (A-Pewter) 
- Rhythm of Momentum (F-Pewter)

Cognitive Rhythms
- Rhythm of Mania (A-Zinc)
- Rhythm of Acuity (F-Zinc)
- Rhythm of Apathy (A-Brass)
- Rhythm of Warmth (F-Brass)
- Rhythm of Isolation (A-Copper)
- Rhythm of Remembrance (F-Copper)
- Rhythm of Attunement (A-Bronze)
- Rhythm of Vigilance (F-Bronze)

Spiritual Rhythms
- Rhythm of Impotence (A-Chromium)
- Rhythm of Fortune (F-Chromium)
- Rhythm of Encouragement (A-Nicrosil)
- Rhythm of Investment (F-Nicrosil)
- Rhythm of Humility (A-Aluminium)
- Rhythm of Pride (F-Aluminium)
- Rhythm of Intensity (A-Duralumin)
- Rhythm of Empathy (F-Duralumin)

Temporal Rhythms
- Rhythm of Contraction (A-Cadmium)
- Rhythm of Saturation (F-Cadmium)
- Rhythm of Dilation (A-Bendalloy)
- Rhythm of Empowerment (F-Bendalloy)
- Rhythm of Hindsight (A-Gold)
- Rhythm of Manifestation (F-Gold)
- Rhythm of Foresight (A-Electrum)
- Rhythm of Perseverance (F-Electrum)

 

Edited March 11 by PanLin

[NovaOmen Any/All(Get creative!!!)]

Thank you so much for the detailed analysis, this is exactly what I was looking for!

14 hours ago, PanLin said:

Ah, just seen 'Rhythm of the Mist - Counterpart to Peace', sorry! I assume that's Harmony's, then? If so, I'm not sure 'Peace' entirely lines up with Harmony's Intent.

It was more for the timekeeping aspect, the Rhythm of Peace let's a singer attune to Roshar. I wanted the Rhythm of Mist to hold a similar function, while the Rhythm of Serenity holds the more emotional counterpart

14 hours ago, PanLin said:

Does that mean that feruchemical rhythms should have two rhythms?

My thinking was, this is a Singer naming scheme first, and an allomantic one second. While singers likely can alter Feruchemical rhythm's to sound closer to tapping or storing variants, this would be more of an analog to changing intent as seen in the creation of Anti-light. Thus this wouldn't require new names, rather inflections of the same emotional information. For example, a singer could attune the Tapping form of the Rhythm of Consequence to scold a child, or attune the Storing variant to show more reverence to a loss of a loved one.

Physical Rhythms

I like your idea of Awareness to mimics the Kandra blessings, I didn't use any terms that were used in the cosmere RPG to avoid confusion but I know realize Kandra won't change the names of their blessings for a book they don't know about, and neither would singers with their rhythms. With that in mind perhaps changing A-tin to Vulnerability would be best, since it would give a more contrast between it and F-tin. For F-pewter I got some inspiration from the main way it was used in Era 1, keeping people going when they shouldn't be able to. That way it differentiates itself from the Feruchemical variety, the practitioners of which often Tap in great bursts compared to slowly burning as seen in Allomancy.

Cognitive Metals

I love the Rhythm of Attunement! Thats perfect for Bronze. And the reason I went with what I did for Zinc is to avoid stepping on the Rosharan rhythms, and new I needed to fill the "anger" roll in the emotional spectrum. This is something that will probably come up a lot later so I should clarify. I want these rhythms to be completely usable by singers without ever using Rosharan tones. So in some places I use broader ideas of the metallic arts, or hone in on a particular way it's used to evoke a certain emotion that can't be found elsewhere, hence Copper got Paranoia, as a soft counterpart to anxiety.

Spiritual Rhythms

With Chromium, Fraudulence came about with the idea of stealing, something most of the metallic arts don't often do directly, plus I wanted something that felt very easy to call out in someone, similar to say, how singers use Skepticism. Also for F-Chromium I felt fortune was too on the nose lol. Nicrosil is weird for me, I almost A-Nircosil Endowment, but landed on concessions for its similar "I'll give you credit/respect" vibes. For its Feruchemical counterpart, thought of how the Rhythm of the Winds exists on Roshar, and was used to sing of Radiants. I wanted a similar vibe somewhere in the mix, and felt with how that metal behaves its could do with being the odd one out. For F-Duralumin the only reason I chose Comprehension over Empathy was because of its broader use. For example a singer could attune it Tapping-wise to signal their understanding of an explanation given, or use it Storing-wise to show their empathy to a friend venting about a hard day.

Temporal rhythm time wooooo!

I gave A-Cadmium lethargy just because of that one time a pulser burns the metal because she's bored of a meeting, and I sort of liked that vibe. I can easily imagine bored teenagers attuning that rhythm in a similar way a pulser misting would when faced with such horrors as actually paying attention in school. Again with the Rhythm of Suspense is was doing a more broad appeal that could fit a wider niche, plus I love puns, and thought holding your breath in suspense was too good to pass up. ((I do like the Contraction and Dilation ideas on a fundamental level but I was saving those for a certain, non-vorin approved expansion down the line)) Reflection for Gold is awesome btw and I'm stealing that immediately (again the pun factors in here). Though for F-Gold I know the mechanics of Cosmere healing, but again, wanted to fit a niche and Rhythms like these are more vibe based than scientifically based.

Again thank you so much for the feedback, this is wonderful!

[PanLin they/he]

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

Thank you so much for the detailed analysis, this is exactly what I was looking for!

Oh good! Genuinely a fun little thought experiment.

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

It was more for the timekeeping aspect, the Rhythm of Peace let's a singer attune to Roshar. I wanted the Rhythm of Mist to hold a similar function, while the Rhythm of Serenity holds the more emotional counterpart

Ohhhh that makes sense, in which case ignore everything I said about divine rhythms 

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

My thinking was, this is a Singer naming scheme first, and an allomantic one second. While singers likely can alter Feruchemical rhythm's to sound closer to tapping or storing variants, this would be more of an analog to changing intent as seen in the creation of Anti-light. Thus this wouldn't require new names, rather inflections of the same emotional information. For example, a singer could attune the Tapping form of the Rhythm of Consequence to scold a child, or attune the Storing variant to show more reverence to a loss of a loved one.

Oh that's a fun idea, I really like it.

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

I like your idea of Awareness to mimics the Kandra blessings, I didn't use any terms that were used in the cosmere RPG to avoid confusion but I know realize Kandra won't change the names of their blessings for a book they don't know about, and neither would singers with their rhythms.

Wouldn't be the first time we've seen the same term used for different things! Rosharan humans straight up refer to all Invested Arts as Surgebinding, the arrogant whatsits.

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

With that in mind perhaps changing A-tin to Vulnerability would be best, since it would give a more contrast between it and F-tin. For F-pewter I got some inspiration from the main way it was used in Era 1, keeping people going when they shouldn't be able to. That way it differentiates itself from the Feruchemical variety, the practitioners of which often Tap in great bursts compared to slowly burning as seen in Allomancy.

Ah ok, that all makes sense and adds extra context, thanks!

I am going to die on the hill that Apathy feels wrong for F-Tin though, sorryyy! Apathy is an emotional response (or rather, a lack of one), not something related to senses or awareness.

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

I love the Rhythm of Attunement! Thats perfect for Bronze.

Yay glad I could help!

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

And the reason I went with what I did for Zinc is to avoid stepping on the Rosharan rhythms, and new I needed to fill the "anger" roll in the emotional spectrum. This is something that will probably come up a lot later so I should clarify. I want these rhythms to be completely usable by singers without ever using Rosharan tones. So in some places I use broader ideas of the metallic arts, or hone in on a particular way it's used to evoke a certain emotion that can't be found elsewhere, hence Copper got Paranoia, as a soft counterpart to anxiety.

Ah ok, I kind of glossed over that context in my suggestions, my b.

That's valid, allows for a fair bit of wiggle room in assigning emotions to metals. Through that lens, A-Copper does work for Paranoia as something you might do in response to that emotion.

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

With Chromium, Fraudulence came about with the idea of stealing, something most of the metallic arts don't often do directly, plus I wanted something that felt very easy to call out in someone, similar to say, how singers use Skepticism.

Ah ok, I wonder if Fraudulence would actually be a better candidate for Envy, then? A sort of expression of "if I can't have it, neither can you".

Fraudulence sounds like it would fit better in the cognitive metals, maybe A-Copper or A-Brass.

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

Also for F-Chromium I felt fortune was too on the nose lol.

Valid 

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

Nicrosil is weird for me, I almost A-Nircosil Endowment, but landed on concessions for its similar "I'll give you credit/respect" vibes. For its Feruchemical counterpart, thought of how the Rhythm of the Winds exists on Roshar, and was used to sing of Radiants. I wanted a similar vibe somewhere in the mix, and felt with how that metal behaves its could do with being the odd one out.

Ohhhhh interesting, well metals on Scadrial hold a similar reverence to storms on Roshar, so maybe Rhythm of Alloys?

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

For F-Duralumin the only reason I chose Comprehension over Empathy was because of its broader use. For example a singer could attune it Tapping-wise to signal their understanding of an explanation given, or use it Storing-wise to show their empathy to a friend venting about a hard day.

Hm ok, I'm going to push back on this one again, sorry!

Tapping Connection shouldn't increase understanding like that; when people use it to speak other languages, they learn nothing about it, don't perceive themselves to be speaking it at all, and can't speak it after losing the Connection again, for example. Storing Connection would reduce the strength of your Connections in general and would actually reduce your ability to empathise with people or even make them feel safe enough around you to open up like that. The rhythms should represent that; Tapping-polarity should signal openness and acceptance and comfort and trust, and Storing-polarity the opposite. 'Understanding' might work in the sense that a good therapist will seek to understand your emotions, but even then the underlying emotions at play are love and acceptance.

I get the reasoning you're trying to go for, but trying to liken Connection to understanding (especially understanding explanations and such) is too much of a stretch of one of the most important concepts in the Cosmere imo.

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

I gave A-Cadmium lethargy just because of that one time a pulser burns the metal because she's bored of a meeting, and I sort of liked that vibe. I can easily imagine bored teenagers attuning that rhythm in a similar way a pulser misting would when faced with such horrors as actually paying attention in school.

Yep fair! I think my disagreement here was born of me glossing over the context for why you're making these rhythms (totally my bad!). Even in that context, A-Bendalloy's Contemplation feels too directional/cognitive (but maybe that's intentional, especially if you're sticking with Indignation for A-Zinc); I think I'd lean toward something like Patience, or maybe Vigor if you wanted a more direct opposite to Lethargy (though don't quote me on 'Vigor', I don't think that feels right either).

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

Rhythm of Suspense is was doing a more broad appeal that could fit a wider niche, plus I love puns, and thought holding your breath in suspense was too good to pass up.

Honestly I agree, any excuse for a good pun is golden and shouldn't be dismissed out of hand

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

((I do like the Contraction and Dilation ideas on a fundamental level but I was saving those for a certain, non-vorin approved expansion down the line))

Ohohoh  new fabrials? feruchemical medallions? (you don't have to answer)

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

Reflection for Gold is awesome btw and I'm stealing that immediately (again the pun factors in here).

I didn't even notice the pun in that one  but yes fantastic, happy to help!

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

Though for F-Gold I know the mechanics of Cosmere healing, but again, wanted to fit a niche and Rhythms like these are more vibe based than scientifically based.

Understood, apologies if that came off condescending! And yeah, if you're leaning more toward vibes/perceptions/emotions, then Recuperation totally works.

8 hours ago, NovaOmen said:

Again thank you so much for the feedback, this is wonderful!

No worries!