How come Hemalurgy can only take 1 Allomantic ability at a time?

[WayneSpren he/him]

I was reading in HoA and in one of the chapter epigraphs it said that Hemalurgic spikes could only take one Allomantic power at a time, thus because nobody knew about Duralumin mistings getting Duralumin powers into inquisitors required sacrificing a Mistborn.

Why is this?

Edited August 13, 2015 by WayneSpren

[STINK he/him]

Isn't it for the same reason that the different metals grant different abilities, as its based on the metals structure so I imagine that the same rule applies to Hemalurgy, with only a pewter spike being able to grant the ability to burn pewter as the structure of pewter is the only metal capable of granting strength to whoever burns it.

[Kurkistan he/him]

We have a somewhat suggestive WoB on this:

 

Source:

KYTHIS

Unknown question.

 

BRANDON SANDERSON

Hemalurgy-when you spike, you place the spike in a place that determines which charge the spike gets.

 

KYTHIS

Through the heart seems to pick up universally.

 

BRANDON SANDERSON

It depends on where in the heart. It's like acupuncture. This is designed from acupuncture and you get very specific on which nerves you're hitting and things like that.

 

KYTHIS

So the spike will never pick up more than one power.

 

BRANDON SANDERSON

Not the way they know how to do it.

[The Sovereign]

It probably also has to do with the fact that the location of the spike placement effects what power is given. The bind point effects what attribute (allomantic/feruchemic/human) is stolen/given. *I suspect even though an Atium spike could steal any of the attributes (we do know that it can steal any power per WoB that I am having trouble finding), where you place it would affect which attribute was taken from the victim / given to the spike recipient.

 

Edit: Cutting out the part that Kurkistan ninja'd me on. Well played señor!

.

Edited August 13, 2015 by Iron Eyes

[natc]

Better question is: why would it make any more sense were hemalurgy able to steal multiple powers than it does right now being only able to steal one?

There's no reason it would work any differently than it does currently ("the way we know how to do it", so to speak), else we could just impale two people through the heart with an atium spike and end up with a very large piece of spiritweb transferred.

Edited August 14, 2015 by natc

[The Sovereign]

Better question is: why would it make any more sense were hemalurgy able to steal multiple powers than it does right now being only able to steal one?

There's no reason it would work any differently than it does currently ("the way we know how to do it", so to speak), else we could just impale two people through the heart with an atium spike and end up with a very large piece of spiritweb transferred.

 

This is an interesting notion, who is to say that you couldn't with a large enough spike? I suspect going through that much flesh it would be exceedingly difficult to hit the correct bind points. However, lets say you managed to line it up; how would it actually work? Would it rip out a piece of the first victims soul web and staple it to the second victim and then rip out a piece of their augmented soul web and staple it to the recipient or would it rip out a piece of the first victims soul web and then the second person soul web and then staple both to the recipient?

 

Another interesting thought; what would happen to the soul web if you used someone who's soul web is already altered via Hemalurgy as the victim in Hemalurgy? With the Koloss we saw this a little when the were reusing spikes, but I think the changes we saw (making them more human) were more the results of Hemalurgic decay from reusing spikes than anything else. My questions is what would the effect be if you used a new spike and the victim was say an Inquisitor?

[Rockbud he/him]

This might have been explained somewhere, but wouldnt hitting the heart with a massive spike kill the recipient? There has to be a point where, even though we're talking magic systems, the heart can't work well enough for the person to survive.

[The Sovereign]

This might have been explained somewhere, but wouldnt hitting the heart with a massive spike kill the recipient? There has to be a point where, even though we're talking magic systems, the heart can't work well enough for the person to survive.

You have to remember that Hemalurgy changes the makeup of the body. One you are spiked you aren't really human anymore. This is the same reason an Inquistor doesn't die despite having spikes going through its brain. Removing the spike from the heart could kill however as explained with Penrod's spike.

WoB on Hemalurgy changing the body:

Interview: Oct, 2008

Hero of Ages Q&A - TWG (Verbatim)

Kaimipono (16 October 2008)

Why exactly do some spike removals kill (dual eye, or central spike) but most don't?

Brandon Sanderson (17 October 2008)

For the same reason that a bullet through one part of the body will kill you, but getting shot somewhere else won't. The physical form of a person who has undergone a Hemalurgic transformation is no longer what we think of it. The direct connection to Preservation starts keeping them alive. (Imagine stapling someone's soul to another person's soul, their life essence, then stapling that to the power of creation itself, giving you a conduit directly to power, letting you leech it and steal it.) That power keeps you alive, despite the wounds. Some of the time, the other staples are enough to keep you alive, even if one is pulled out. Others are too important.

[Oudeis he/him]

Remember that Penrod had only a single, lightly charged spike through his heart, yet survived perfectly well. Physically, at least.

[The Sovereign]

Remember that Penrod had only a single, lightly charged spike through his heart, yet survived perfectly well. Physically, at least.

Yes, he survived with it in his heart but would die if it were removed.

[Rockbud he/him]

The part about Preservation's power keeping then alive sounds alot like the mangled Elantrians.

[Guest]

I was reading in HoA and in one of the chapter epigraphs it said that Hemalurgic spikes could only take one Allomantic power at a time, thus because nobody knew about Duralumin mistings getting Duralumin powers into inquisitors required sacrificing a Mistborn.

Why is this?

 

I've always assumed it was a practical limitation rather than a magical one. After you drive the 1st Stealing Spike into someone they have a tendency to be dead, and you don't get a 2nd chance. If you try to do 2 Spikes at once but the victim moves at the last second causing a near miss, you're now granting 1 Trait to your Target and Stealing 1 Trait from them.

 

 

With advanced machinery and surgical accuracy, I've previously theorized that EVERY Trait could be taken from a person without them dying.