Sylphrena's Max Size and her Shardform

[CaptainRyan]

First of all, I apologize for talking about a lady's size.

On topic, We have seen Syl assume a "normal" sized human form. We have also seen Syl act as various Shardweapons of differing size (from a knife to a spear to a 2-handed hammer) and even as a Shardshield during the fight with Szeth.

Could Syl expand her "Shardform" to Kaladin's size and somehow coat him in armor. Note I am NOT talking about shardplate. I am talking about how Shardblades cannot be broken even by other Shardblades. If Syl took the form of some kind of clothing, or armor, and covered Kaladin head-to-toe in her "Shardform" would he be completely/nearly immune to damage? If she edged the clothing/armor around the hands could he cut through anything with a punch/chop?

[soulcastJam]

I suppose that's a possibility, but the main problem I see is that it would all be one piece and he would be unable to move a centimeter.  It's not like the shardblade/hammer/shield etc were flexible like spandex.

[CaptainRyan]

25 minutes ago, soulcastJam said:

I suppose that's a possibility, but the main problem I see is that it would all be one piece and he would be unable to move a centimeter.  It's not like the shardblade/hammer/shield etc were flexible like spandex.

That is a good point. Though Sanderson has been cryptic about a live spren replicating a bow & arrow so it is possible there is some method of the spren creating a flexible Shardblade material.

Even if she could only turn into a cocoon type bubble that could surround him, there are a lot of possibilities for an unbreakable shape-shifting material eh?

[Argel]

So, could Kal still do lashings while in it?

[CaptainRyan]

4 minutes ago, Argel said:

So, could Kal still do lashings while in it?

Ooooo, another good question! If he was in an full cocoon made of Syl's Shardform would he be able to do lashings? Hmmm, I would say he could lash himself in directions but not do much of anything else. So, in my mind, he could become a flying Shardcocoon!

[Magestar]

But, as Syl can transform in split-seconds, I see no reason why she could not constantly change as Kaladin moves.  This would basically eliminate the problem of 'Inflexible Shardplate'.  

[Edgedancer]

16 hours ago, Argel said:

So, could Kal still do lashings while in it?

Shallan can channel her illusion through Pattern, so my guess would be that Kaladin can lash through Syl. To be entirely honest, I'm still waiting on the moment that Kaladin uses Syl as the gravitational pull for the reverse lashing to get projectiles away from himself.

[+Slowswift]

17 hours ago, CaptainRyan said:

Though Sanderson has been cryptic about a live spren replicating a bow & arrow

How cryptic? I heard him mention that it's been done, string and all, though more complex mechanics (such as a modern pen) can't be reproduced by a spren.

Edited June 18, 2016 by Slowswift

[CaptainRyan]

10 hours ago, Slowswift said:

How cryptic? I heard him mention that it's been done, string and all, though more complex mechanics (such as a modern pen) can't be reproduced by a spren.

Ah. I must have missed that WoB. The most recent WoB that I have seen on a spren bow & arrow was a RAFO. 

[+Slowswift]

8 minutes ago, CaptainRyan said:

Ah. I must have missed that WoB. The most recent WoB that I have seen on a spren bow & arrow was a RAFO. 

That might've been because he basically just let that slip. I asked him last week at the Orem signing if a spren pen would have infinite ink, and he said that a spren couldn't be something as complex as a pen (though I assume a basic nib would be fine), and no it wouldn't have infinite ink. He did mention that a bow (complete with string; he didn't mention arrows) had been done before as he was explaining to me.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Slowswift

[Irkutsk]

I would assume it's more of a mental block than anything. If Kal got really creative he could probably make Syl into anything he wanted. But because he perceives her Shard-form as a weapon, not as a shapeshifting invincible putty, that's probably as far as he will ever go with it. 

There's also a slim possibility that Spren can only turn into weaponry, for whatever reason, possibly relating to their connection to the Knights Radiant. 

[OdiYum]

What if Syl transformed into a single strand of string that was woven into a full body suit.  Unbreakable and flexible!!!

Edited June 20, 2016 by OdiYum

[Three1415]

If her spatial extent in weapon-form isn't limited, there are a number of amusing but entirely overpowered exploits Kaladin could perform: e.g., Syl would turn into a very, very long and thin Blade which he would then rotate horizontally and Lash across the battlefield, essentially killing a large portion of the enemy army immediately. Likewise, he could just have an "extendable Shardspear,"  where he simply points her at the enemy and she morphs to cross the distance basically instantaneously, causing unavoidable death to anyone not in Shardplate. For these reasons I imagine she is largely limited to a reasonable-sized weapon form, and probably can't be Lashed either (still, imagine a Shard-boomerang, or a true Shardbow...)

[DrakeMarshall]

Or you could just use that strand of string as a really deadly garotte... But that's more in the realm of weapons again

But anyway if somebody once was able to make a bowstring from a spren, that means that the manifestation of the spren doesn't have to be inflexible. Strings are flexible.

[thegatorgirl00]

1 hour ago, Three1415 said:

If her spatial extent in weapon-form isn't limited, there are a number of amusing but entirely overpowered exploits Kaladin could perform: e.g., Syl would turn into a very, very long and thin Blade which he would then rotate horizontally and Lash across the battlefield, essentially killing a large portion of the enemy army immediately. Likewise, he could just have an "extendable Shardspear,"  where he simply points her at the enemy and she morphs to cross the distance basically instantaneously, causing unavoidable death to anyone not in Shardplate. For these reasons I imagine she is largely limited to a reasonable-sized weapon form, and probably can't be Lashed either (still, imagine a Shard-boomerang, or a true Shardbow...)

I suspect that even if these overpowered stunts were possible, Syl wouldn't approve of them. Killing men in battle is one thing, but using tricks that can't be predicted or defended against to slaughter an entire army doesn't seem honorable or like something Syl would agree to do. 

Another spren might do it, but I believe that the ones most likely to are the ones associated with the non-fighting orders.