The organization and power of Odium's army.

[Frustration]

They say that the fastest way to get threads doing battle analysis about Cosmere powers is to leave Frustration alone with time to think. I don't know if they actually say that, but it's probably true.

This will be a companion thread to both Frustration's Firepower Index, and The Hazekiller Coefficient. The difference is that this time I am analyzing a military structure rather than any particular individual.

As a quick recap for those who don't know Frustration's Firepower Index is a collection of threads analyzing the combat capabilities of various worlds and magic systems. The Hazekiller coefficient was an attempt to give ballpark estimates of the number of ordinary individuals needed to kill various invested individuals.

Originally this was just going to be about regals, but I've decided that it would be fun to do a full analysis of Odium's desolation armies, so before BAM took up the well of Control. I will go over each of the various units in Odium's army, and assign them a recommended strategy, as well as a Hazekiller coefficient. Some of this will involve mild amounts of speculation, so please bear with me.

 

The Unmade with few exceptions will not receive a hazekiller coefficient 

Spoiler

Ba-Ado-Mishram

It's hard to tell exactly what Mishram could do before she ascended, however we know she had the ability to heal warriors, which would enable them to continue fighting even after receiving terrible injuries.

Because of this her roll should be to locate important battles with strong fighters, particularly important fused or regals and continuously heal them so as to overcome the ability of the humans to kill them.

Hazekiller coefficient: Uncalculatable

 

Chemoarish

Obviously we don't know much about Chmoarish, but if you will allow me to theorize for a moment. Chemoarish is called the Dustmother, implying that she is capable of quite a bit of destruction. Now most often the Unmade don't do much themselves(if it weren't for Dai-Gonarthis), so I posit that she was capable of empowering either individuals or decay in some form so as to break things apart. Shouls that be the case then she should be used in any situation where destruction and siege equipment is required.

 

Dai-Gonarthis

Dai-Gonarthis is one of the more interesting Unmade for me as she has the ability to create elsegates, however the situations under which she can are so limited that it's rarely relevant. She was also somehow involved in the Scouring of Aimia, which likely didn't involve an Elsegate, so she can do other things.

 

Re-Shephir

 Re-Shephir's ability to create midnight essence makes her one of the most militarily significant of the unmade. She can create an unending wave of midnight horrors, to overwhelm anything. The strategy is simple, show up and unleash an army.

Hazekiller coefficient: Near-infinite

 

Sja-anat

In all honesty I consider Sja-anat to be one of the least impressive of the Unmade. Her ability to corrupt spren is interesting, but before the true desolation she could only corrupt lesser spren. She has the ability to make good spies as well as to rapidly communicate information. Her main role should be as an informant and a relay, collecting information and immediately reporting it to the forces most able to take advantage of it.

 

Yelig-nar

My personal favorite of the Unmade, Yelig-nar is perhaps the most individually dangerous of the Unmade, able to apply insane amounts of power in any particular fight. Anytime you need to break a defensive position, you send in Yelig-nar.

Hazekiller coefficient: add almost 400 to the host

 

Ashertmarn

While near mindless Ashertmarn possesses the ability to cause massive populations of entire cities to fall into riotous revelry, which can effectively destroy a city. However Radiants seem to be highly resistant to this. The most effective thing to do would be to target cities for weeks before attacking them as we saw in OB, or to stop them from reinforcing nearby locations.

 

Moelach

I actually still have no idea what this guy is supposed to do. He makes people dying speak about the future, but Odium can do that himself.  However Odium sent him to the shattered plains in WaT, so he must do something else.

 

Nergaoul

The thrill. Used correctly he can cause Odium's fighters to never break, or cause human forces to overcommit to a battle they have no way to win.

This technically could have a hazekiller bonus to thrill-lusted individuals but I'm not sure what.

 

Thunderclasts

These things can serve both as siege engines, walls/bridges, and as unstoppable offence, depending on the situation. Unfortunately there are only three of them.

Hazekiller coefficient: 4-5 thousand.

 

Fused

Spoiler

Heavenly Ones:

Heavenly Ones serve well as transportation, scouts. However their use as warriors is severely hampered by their insistence on 1v1 fighting. 

Hazekiller coefficient: 10

 

Devastating Ones:

We know next to nothing about them, but assuming their carapace breaks things apart on contact they should serve well as siege engines.

Hazekiller coefficient: ???

 

Flowing Ones:

 The Flowing Ones disappoint me, they are really rather weak, just ending up as faster warforms that can escape a grapple. I'd honestly rank some regals above them. However they do have their use, in that they can move freely in water or other terrain that would slow them down.

Hazekiller coefficient: 3-4

 

Magnified Ones:

Finally a Fused that lives up to their terrifying reputation. These can serve both as builders, defenders, and warriors. Their armor is enough to stop the vast majority of attacks, and their ability to create whatever weapon they so desire is insane.

Hazekiller coefficient: 2-3 hundred

 

Masked Ones: 

Masked Ones serve well as assassins, saboteurs, and spies. Their inability to replicate Radiant abilities, and the easy ability to prove that they aren't human via drawing blood or feeling their face greatly hinders their abilities.

Hazekiller coefficient: 2-3

 

Altered Ones:

Their ability to turn weapons that pierce them into harmless substances makes them largely immune to most bladed weapons, leaving blunt force the best way to deal with them. They are however best put to use as engineers, and builders.

Hazekiller coefficient: 4-5

 

Husked Ones:

Brandon did these guys dirty. The ability to teleport and instantly stab someone in the neck, allows you to easily infiltrate almost anywhere and win almost any 1v1, and escape from any situation. Easily one of the best powers.

Hazekiller coefficient: several hundred+

 

Deepest Ones:

They can go through stone, which is a cool way to escape and all, but it's not all that great when even mild planning from your opponents basically removes any advantage you had. They can serve as decent infiltrators and fighters, but not much else.

Hazekiller coefficient: 2-3

 

Focused Ones:

This in my mind is what all fused should have been. Powerful, terrifying, and unstoppable. Resistant to shardblades, and able to serve as anything from artillery to a formation breaker, to a 1v1 power fighter the Focused One can fill just about any role necessary for an army.

Hazekiller coefficient: 2-3 hundred  

 

Regals:

This is where I think that Odium's army really begins to take shape. Earlier units were for the most part unremarkable fighters that even mistings wouldn't struggle to take down with a few stellar standouts. Here however we begin to see the formation of an actual fighting force capable of taking over a world. I'd say that in the Desolations the regals were probably far more powerful than the fused, and might just have been enough to actually make Odium's forces a threat to the people of Roshar.

Spoiler

Stormform:

With the ability to electrocute anything they touch, and a good deal they can't Stormforms serve an incredible purpose in the Desolations for their ability to immobilize Radiants for the kill.

Spoiler

ShadowBlaze

If a gold Ferring got electrocuted, would he get paralyzed and/or heal and react normally?

Brandon Sanderson

So he gets electrocuted. You're asking does Cosmere healing prevent you from being stunned by a taser?

Huh, what a good question. I'm going to say, and I could contradict this, so this is Word of Brandon canon until I contradict it, you could still stun them with electrical stimulation of muscles, because it's not doing any harm and it's just how muscles normally work. So I think that's a good workaround.

Legion Release Party (Sept. 19, 2018)

Every battle anticipating Radiants should have several of these on standby. As well as their ability to attack at a distance and fry multiple enemies inside their armor at once. Their armor is almost as effective as plate, and they are easily as strong as 3-4 humans.

Hazekiller coefficient: around 12

 

Envoy form: 

Envoy's serve best as propogandists, interpreters, and potential codebreakers. They should rarely see frontline combat, however they can still fight if they need to.

Hazekiller coefficient: 2

 

Decayform:

Not much is known about these other than that the listeners are warned against them. The SARPG says they can drain vitality, but I'm highly skeptical of that.

 

Nightform:

Possessing the ability to see the future, however, it seems like more of the far future rather than something like atium, though that is a possibility. If they can't do an atium adjacent future sight I'm still not sure what purpose they have as Odium can see the future already.

Hazekiller coefficient: 2(if only prophetic foresight) 12+(if atium-like)

 

Smokeform:

This one is the one that most interests me, and we know next to nothing about them. All we know is that it's a form that "lies" is similar to human, or spren surges, and it is for slipping between men. Either it does exactly what Masked Ones do, or it allows them to turn invisible, or(and this might be my favorite) they can manipulate Connection to allow themselves to move unseen. Either way, it just shows how utterly pathetic the Masked Ones are.

 

Direform:

These are perhaps the single most offensively powerful of the regals, even stronger than several fused. In addition to their inbuilt obedience, Direform are stronger than any other regals, which are in turn stronger than warform, which itself is stronger than humans. I estimate that Direforms are easily 4-6 times stronger than humans, and are easily comparable to the Koloss of Scadrial. However, they also come with built in armor, which makes then incredibly difficult to kill. These should make up the vast majority of Odium's forces as basically every soldier could benefit greatly from being one.

Hazekiller coefficient: 6-10

 

Relayform:

Another form we know little about. The SARPG says that they're really fast, if so they shouldn't be used as scouts or messengers. Let the spren do that. Rather they should be a group of harriers, used to attack powerful radiants and retreat before they can be attacked in turn. In a group it would allow them to overpower their opponents easily.

Hazekiller coefficient: ???

Other singer forms exist, but really shouldn't be used, as forms of power are just better. If there aren't enough voidspren then warforms will suffice as weaker Direforms, however those warforms would make great hosts for Yelig-nar.

 

Overall rating: Odium's army is incredibly well rounded, having a decent capacity for just about everything. They do over rely on spies and informants, when they have plenty of ways to do just that. Odium instead should have invested more into leeching like abilities as the ability to counter other forms of investiture is severely lacking, and Raysium isn't near enough to make up for it. However I can confidently say that with the exception of Radiant forces this is by far the most dangerous army we have thus seen in the cosmere.

[Qianweilian He/him]

26 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Thunderclasts

These things can serve both as siege engines, walls/bridges, and as unstoppable offence, depending on the situation. Unfortunately there are only three of them.

Hazekiller coefficient: 4-5 thousand.

I feel like a couple of at crews might be able to destroy one of these. Hammers are given as options to fight them.

29 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Husked Ones:

Brandon did these guys dirty. The ability to teleport and instantly stab someone in the neck, allows you to easily infiltrate almost anywhere and win almost any 1v1, and escape from any situation. Easily one of the best powers.

Hazekiller coefficient: several hundred+

I think the hazekiller coef is too high. While I'll agree the teleportation is awesome, it isn't instantaneous, and it is very investiture intensive. I think around 10 with guns is a reasonable amount.

33 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Stormform:

With the ability to electrocute anything they touch, and a good deal they can't Stormforms serve an incredible purpose in the Desolations for their ability to immobilize Radiants for the kill.

  Reveal hidden contents

ShadowBlaze

If a gold Ferring got electrocuted, would he get paralyzed and/or heal and react normally?

Brandon Sanderson

So he gets electrocuted. You're asking does Cosmere healing prevent you from being stunned by a taser?

Huh, what a good question. I'm going to say, and I could contradict this, so this is Word of Brandon canon until I contradict it, you could still stun them with electrical stimulation of muscles, because it's not doing any harm and it's just how muscles normally work. So I think that's a good workaround.

Legion Release Party (Sept. 19, 2018)

Every battle anticipating Radiants should have several of these on standby. As well as their ability to attack at a distance and fry multiple enemies inside their armor at once. Their armor is almost as effective as plate, and they are easily as strong as 3-4 humans.

Hazekiller coefficient: around 12

Agree, but I suspect the paralysis may not work on Radiants. Stormlight is very specifically described as giving energy and restlessness, desiring action. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some intent property that allowed a radiant to bypass electrocution.

36 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Smokeform:

This one is the one that most interests me, and we know next to nothing about them. All we know is that it's a form that "lies" is similar to human, or spren surges, and it is for slipping between men. Either it does exactly what Masked Ones do, or it allows them to turn invisible, or(and this might be my favorite) they can manipulate Connection to allow themselves to move unseen. Either way, it just shows how utterly pathetic the Masked Ones are.

What, like a Gray Man from the Wheel of Time?

38 minutes ago, Frustration said:

However I can confidently say that with the exception of Radiant forces this is by far the most dangerous army we have thus seen in the cosmere.

I think it is even more powerful due to the sheer numbers and versatility. The Radiants' numbers never get that high, but you could theoretically have over a million stormforms or direforms, if Retribution makes more Voidspren.

[Trusk'our he/him]

3 hours ago, Frustration said:

However I can confidently say that with the exception of Radiant forces this is by far the most dangerous army we have thus seen in the cosmere.

Hmm, I don't know. . . a quarter of a million Ruin-controlled Koloss are pretty tough to beat.

Not to mention that more can be made as long as you can get more iron (or recycle spikes) and have more bodies.

[Frustration]

15 hours ago, Qianweilian said:

I feel like a couple of at crews might be able to destroy one of these. Hammers are given as options to fight them.

They were also Dustbringer squires, so they can use division to start breaking the body apart, and hammers to complete the process.

15 hours ago, Qianweilian said:

I think the hazekiller coef is too high. While I'll agree the teleportation is awesome, it isn't instantaneous, and it is very investiture intensive. I think around 10 with guns is a reasonable amount.

The humans of Roshar during the desolations didn't have guns. Really no one in the Cosmere did at that time.

15 hours ago, Qianweilian said:

Agree, but I suspect the paralysis may not work on Radiants. Stormlight is very specifically described as giving energy and restlessness, desiring action. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some intent property that allowed a radiant to bypass electrocution.

See WoB, the muscles are moving, and doing so correctly.

15 hours ago, Qianweilian said:

What, like a Gray Man from the Wheel of Time?

Exactly like a Gray Man.

12 hours ago, Trusk'our said:

Hmm, I don't know. . . a quarter of a million Ruin-controlled Koloss are pretty tough to beat.

Not to mention that more can be made as long as you can get more iron (or recycle spikes) and have more bodies.

A direform is just as strong if not stronger, while also being better armored, and far smarter. And you only need one Singer to make one, not five.

[Qianweilian He/him]

1 hour ago, Frustration said:

They were also Dustbringer squires, so they can use division to start breaking the body apart, and hammers to complete the process.

Still, I feel explosives could do it.

1 hour ago, Frustration said:

The humans of Roshar during the desolations didn't have guns. Really no one in the Cosmere did at that time.

I mean, both Taldain and Scadrial are candidates for having guns at the time. Maybe not the first desolation, but certainly some of the latter ones.

[Frustration]

12 minutes ago, Qianweilian said:

Still, I feel explosives could do it.

Again, no one on Roahar had explosives at that time. And stone is really hard to break apart without some form of penetration. You don't put dynamite next to a cliff, you dig a hole into the cliff and put the dynamite inside.

13 minutes ago, Qianweilian said:

I mean, both Taldain and Scadrial are candidates for having guns at the time. Maybe not the first desolation, but certainly some of the latter ones.

No, gunpowder was a recent development on Scadrial when TLR took up the well of Acsension. That's over 3,000 years after the last desolation.

And while it's difficult to date White Sand(in which gunpowder was still in its infancy). Based on the fact that Autonomy is worried about Sacdrial's technological developments they can't be too far ahead.

And neither of those worlds is Roshar.

[Through the Living Potato He/Him]

On 5/21/2026 at 5:04 PM, Frustration said:

Masked Ones: 

Masked Ones serve well as assassins, saboteurs, and spies. Their inability to replicate Radiant abilities, and the easy ability to prove that they aren't human via drawing blood or feeling their face greatly hinders their abilities.

Hazekiller coefficient: 2-3

I feel as though Masked Ones are very situational. Yes, you can easily tell they aren’t human by touching them, but how often is someone going to do that? Now, if there were a large number of reported Masked Ones, yes there will likely be checks and tests, those will likely be limited to the middle and high class, with those beneath being too unimportant to check. So I think reasonably, the Masked Ones could infiltrate, say, a city by posing as a refugee in a large crowd, to lower the possibility of being caught. Then once inside, when checks are likely (as far as I’m aware) less common, they could impersonate someone more important, as to gain more information. And if caught, the masked ones could revert to their usual shifting form, which has been described as “unsettling” even to the Fused. Do they have much combat application? No. But that doesn’t seem to be why Odium made them. No, this has nothing to do with the “Power Level of Odium’s Army,” but I am saying they have their uses.

[Frustration]

On 5/22/2026 at 5:37 PM, Through the Living Potato said:

I feel as though Masked Ones are very situational. Yes, you can easily tell they aren’t human by touching them, but how often is someone going to do that? Now, if there were a large number of reported Masked Ones, yes there will likely be checks and tests, those will likely be limited to the middle and high class, with those beneath being too unimportant to check. So I think reasonably, the Masked Ones could infiltrate, say, a city by posing as a refugee in a large crowd, to lower the possibility of being caught. Then once inside, when checks are likely (as far as I’m aware) less common, they could impersonate someone more important, as to gain more information

I have to disagree, if I was planning to deal with them I would require everyone entering to undergo a face test, doubly so for any sort of high importance areas or people. It takes less than 5 seconds to test someone, and there's little reason not to. After a few months during wartime everyone gets used to starting conversations that way, and they lose all effectiveness.