Just for Fun

[SwiftSteel he/him]

I got this idea from a superpower forum, and I thought that I might share it here.

 

So a magical genie that is a big fan of the Mistborn books picks you and 999 other people to take part in a test.

Each of the 1000 people can be given an ability from the series (full Mistborn, full Feruchemist, Misting, Ferring, or Twinborn) if they ask for it.  Here's the catch: You only get to receive the ability if no one else asked for it.  For example, if you wanted to be a Mistborn, you could ask for it, but chances are that another person will ask for the same ability.  So you won't get to be a Mistborn.

 

If you manage to get the ability that you want, the genie will supply you with two hours worth of metal burning if you become an Allomancer or Twinborn.  If you become a Twinborn or Feruchemist, you don't require metal to store, you can just store it in your own body.

 

I think, considering the possibilities, I would choose to be a Allomantic pewter- Feruchemal iron Twinborn.

[Phantom Monstrosity]

Okay, using the 19 known metals, plus a lerasium+atium alloy, there are 21^2-1 +3 = 443 combinations possible of twinborn (counting 'no metal' as a metal to cover ferrings and mistings, subtracting out the double 'no metal' combination, then adding the two full ones, plus a feruchemistborn.

Thus, it is not only possible, it's very likely that you'll get your toes stepped on for any combination.

You get a little more leeway if you add in lerasium+atium+whatever alloys, but I have no idea what you'd call them (malharmonium?).

So I'm going to say

Be a twinborn, with odiummetal as my feruchemical ability (since nobody's going to pick that), and lerasium as my allomantic ability (so I get a nice chunk of lerasium, and mistborn powers from burning it).

Best part is, two hours of lerasium burning is WAY more than I need to be a mistborn, so I can pull a Hoid and just run off with the excess.

Edited June 2, 2013 by Phantom Monstrosity

[Kadrok she/her]

If you become a Twinborn or Feruchemist, you don't require metal to store, you can just store it in your own body.

Why?

 

Okay, using the 19 known metals, plus a lerasium+atium alloy, there are 21^2-1 +3 = 443 combinations possible of twinborn (counting 'no metal' as a metal to cover ferrings and mistings, subtracting out the double 'no metal' combination, then adding the two full ones, plus a feruchemistborn.

Thus, it is not only possible, it's very likely that you'll get your toes stepped on for any combination.

You get a little more leeway if you add in lerasium+atium+whatever alloys, but I have no idea what you'd call them (malharmonium?).

So I'm going to say

Be a twinborn, with odiummetal as my feruchemical ability (since nobody's going to pick that), and lerasium as my allomantic ability (so I get a nice chunk of lerasium, and mistborn powers from burning it).

Best part is, two hours of lerasium burning is WAY more than I need to be a mistborn, so I can pull a Hoid and just run off with the excess.

 

In that case I am picking a Lerasium/Iron Twinborn. I figure everyone else is either going to pick a nonbrilliant combination and hope for the best, or a Lerasium/Obscure-God-metal like you to maximise profit/chance of success, or else pick Lerasium/Odiummetal to troll you.

Edited June 5, 2013 by Kadrok

[Phantom Monstrosity]

I figure if it's a thousand people, odds are most of them wil just look it up on wikipedia. 

[Shardlet he/him]

If all 1000 were huge fans of Mistborn, then I would choose mistborn.  Everyone else is going to look at it and say "There's no point in choosing mistborn because it is cool enough that someone will surely choose it."  Therefore, nobody is likely to choose it but me and I would therefore RULE!

 

Is a lerasium/anything twinborn really a twinborn since everyone can burn lerasium?  Wouldn't you just be a ferring?

Edited June 7, 2013 by Shardlet

[Tarontos he/him]

If all 1000 were huge fans of Mistborn, then I would choose mistborn.  Everyone else is going to look at it and say "There's no point in choosing mistborn because it is cool enough that someone will surely choose it."  Therefore, nobody is likely to choose it but me and I would therefore RULE!

 

Is a lerasium/anything twinborn really a twinborn since everyone can burn lerasium?  Wouldn't you just be a ferring?

Dominant theory doesn't work if every one knows it.

Edited June 10, 2013 by Tarontos

[tecslicer]

I'd be a platinum allomancer (then I'd have a bunch of valuable metal right?) and a salt feruchemist. let the awesome begin!

[Shardlet he/him]

Dominate theory doesn't work if every one knows it.

 

 Well, if we are going to make this a collaborative effort, then we are all screwed.  As pointed out by PM, more than half of the 1000 would be left in the cold.  So everyone is going to look at it and say "If I'm going to be screwed, you might be screwed too, so I'll pick one that I know you picked."  Unless there are about 550 generous souls in the mix and they all say "We'll kindly all choose the same one together so you 442 blessed souls can each have a power."  In that case, dibs on mistborn.  I still RULE! (not in the dominion sense, but in the awesome sense).

[Phantom Monstrosity]

 Well, if we are going to make this a collaborative effort, then we are all screwed.  As pointed out by PM, more than half of the 1000 would be left in the cold.  So everyone is going to look at it and say "If I'm going to be screwed, you might be screwed too, so I'll pick one that I know you picked."  Unless there are about 550 generous souls in the mix and they all say "We'll kindly all choose the same one together so you 442 blessed souls can each have a power."  In that case, dibs on mistborn.  I still RULE! (not in the dominion sense, but in the awesome sense).

 

Of course, if people pick metals that have unrevealed powers, there's enough for everyone (50^2-1+3=2502). 

 

Problem is, not sure how many people would be willing to pick metals like mallerasium, or ferratium, or whatever.

[Nepene he/him]

Can you go for any ability from the series? Because then I go for being the Shard of Preservation.

 

If not, I'd go for the power of being a seeker that was turned into an inquisitor with some random series of spikes. I would then seek down y'all and become more powerful.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Nepene

[Tarontos he/him]

 Well, if we are going to make this a collaborative effort, then we are all screwed.  As pointed out by PM, more than half of the 1000 would be left in the cold.  So everyone is going to look at it and say "If I'm going to be screwed, you might be screwed too, so I'll pick one that I know you picked."  Unless there are about 550 generous souls in the mix and they all say "We'll kindly all choose the same one together so you 442 blessed souls can each have a power."  In that case, dibs on mistborn.  I still RULE! (not in the dominion sense, but in the awesome sense).

first off no one is going to be that generous. secondly do you know what dominate theory is, it is not if i lose you lose, its, assuming neither one of us knows the others choices, then I might as well go for being stronger. 

[Phantom Monstrosity]

The perfectly rational strategy for a situation with no communication and equal information for all parties is to roll the dice and choose randomly.

Edited June 10, 2013 by Phantom Monstrosity

[Observer]

Archivist Rioter all the way. The only thing better than that is double Chromium, and there's no way somebody won't pick that.

 

BTW, my 1,000th post!

[Shardlet he/him]

first off no one is going to be that generous. secondly do you know what dominate theory is, it is not if i lose you lose, its, assuming neither one of us knows the others choices, then I might as well go for being stronger. 

 

Sounds like a variant of the Prisoner's Dilemma.

[kroen]

The logical choice would be picking something weak, as less people would go for weak powers. Then again, other people know this too so the best choice would actually going full Mistborn/Feruchemist or a powerful Twinborn combo. But alas, people would also think that, reverting back to weak powers, ad infinitum. 

[Phantom Monstrosity]

The optimal strategy depends entirely upon who the 'thousand people' are.  If all of them but me are just some random jerks off the street?  No reason not to pick lerasium misting / full feruchemist; lerasium was never named in the books, the metal isn't explicitly listed in the problem that's being given to the people, and it's pretty unlikely anyone would guess at it.

 

On the other hand, if I'm going against 999 clones of myself with equal knowledge and no communication?  The optimal strategy is to make a grid of all the potentially useful alloys I can think of, and pick randomly (ie: eliminate gnats, and reroll if that gets hit).  Any attempt to weight the probabilities, and deviate from a pure random strategy, would be followed by my clones as well, and result in a worse outcome for me. 

 

I can't fake-out my clones, since when they're in my shoes they'll do exactly what I will do.

Edited June 10, 2013 by Phantom Monstrosity

[Observer]

Am I the only one here who wonder how they would get past a mirror version of themselves on the street? No? Okay...

 

You may have ot modify that strategy Phantom. If they're good enough clones, they'll pick up and roll the dice exactly like you, therefore yielding the same results. You'd need a computer with random number generation script to be sure.

 

Why do I get the feeling I've read my post in xkcd format recently?

[Phantom Monstrosity]

Am I the only one here who wonder how they would get past a mirror version of themselves on the street? No? Okay...

Mirror version or clone version?  Clone version you just pass on your right

 

 

You may have ot modify that strategy Phantom. If they're good enough clones, they'll pick up and roll the dice exactly like you, therefore yielding the same results. You'd need a computer with random number generation script to be sure.

 

Nah, the air currents in my room should be enough to randomize it.

[Nepene he/him]

The logical choice would be picking something weak, as less people would go for weak powers. Then again, other people know this too so the best choice would actually going full Mistborn/Feruchemist or a powerful Twinborn combo. But alas, people would also think that, reverting back to weak powers, ad infinitum. 

 

A lot of people are gonna be irrational. They'll see the book and go "Ooh, mistborn. I'll be a mistborn."

 

Irrationality is always important to consider.

[Observer]

I mean, like, a living version of your reflection that can think and talk, just in a mirrored sort of way. You can't duck to the right, or they will to, and they'll propose the same but reversed idea if you tell them which way to go.

 

Assuming, for full goodiness sake, that all the others are 17th sharders, the only real option is to go for something and hope for the best. If you felt really nice, you could be a gnat and open up a space for another person.