Savant drawbacks

[Isaac]

Right, so most of us know that if an allomancer flares a metal for large periods of time they can become a savant. Now when savants were first mentioned it was described as a dangerous ting, because it has drawbacks. The best/only example is Spook. While burning tin his senses were heightened to a ridiculous degree as seen in the third book. However when he stopped burning tin his senses became stunted and almost useless. With the review out of the way I was wondering...What is the drawback for steel?

I just learned that Wax is a steel savant, witch makes sense it explains his steel bubble thing, but what is the downside. If he isn't burning steel the side affect is what he becomes worse at sensing and pushing on metals? For pewter the drawback is the savant becomes weaker and much more prone to exhaustion (at least that's my assumption) it is the opposite affect of when burning pewter. So what about steel, or bronze or any of the other metals really. What is stopping all the other types of mistings from savanting themselves. If there is no downside there is no reason why anyone else can get stronger.

So the question is two things really: What is the drawback of being a Steel/Bronze/copper/etc, savant? + Why don't we see alot more savants running around?

[PantsForSquares he/him]

26 minutes ago, Isaac said:

For pewter the drawback is the savant becomes weaker and much more prone to exhaustion (at least that's my assumption) it is the opposite affect of when burning pewter.

The thing about pewter savants is that while they can undergo more punishment while burning pewter, this often means that they also ignore the effects of whatever's causing the pain in the first place. This leads to a lot of Thugs dying before they can fully become savants, so an actual Pewter savant is fairly rare.

But, for the most part, Bronze, Copper and Tin are the most common types of Allomancy where someone can feasibly become a savant.

[Spoolofwhool]

I believe it is mainly the internal physical metals which cause the most direct change on a misting, as a result of the fact that they change a person's physical, the direct investiture changing it. I believe it was said, either in annotations or HoA epigraphs, that copper and bronze mistings usually become savants often enough because they burn their metals constantly. 

 

[The One Who Connects he/him]

13 hours ago, Isaac said:

While burning tin his senses were heightened to a ridiculous degree as seen in the third book. However when he stopped burning tin his senses became stunted and almost useless.

When you write it out that way, it almost sounds like an addiction. I wonder..
It fits with what happens to Thugs, they get so used to the extra strength that their body can't really cope well with injuries without it.

Not too sure for steel or the others.. if the Bronze pulses were actual sounds, I can imagine a savant going crazy about it being "too quiet"

[Oversleep]

You got it a little wrong. There is no such thing as "drawback" of savantism. It's not "you get this power and this disadvantage". There are just consequences.

Savants have greater power of their metal and become used to it. So tin savant just has extremely heightened senses and it's so used to it that when not burning tin his senses are dull.

Pewter savants usually killed themselves because they ignored wounds they should not have and died because of that.

Also, it's important to keep in mind that becoming a savant is a long process. Spook flared tin all the time for weeks, months even (not really sure). But tin burns the slowest of all the metals, it would require much greater quantities for other metals.

For example, it took years for Wax to become a savant; IIRC Kelsier was a steel and iron savant. Many Seekers (and probably Smokers) regularly became savants. Bronze savants could also pierce copperclouds but it depends on relative allomantics strengths. For example a Lerasiumborn like Elend could have pierced copperclouds of lesser Allomancers if he became as bronze savant.

Edited September 21, 2016 by Oversleep

[The Sovereign]

15 hours ago, Spoolofwhool said:

I believe it is mainly the internal physical metals which cause the most direct change on a misting, as a result of the fact that they change a person's physical, the direct investiture changing it. I believe it was said, either in annotations or HoA epigraphs, that copper and bronze mistings usually become savants often enough because they burn their metals constantly. 

 

The internal metals may well have the most physical effect on the Allomancer, however becoming a savant of any metal alters their s-DNA which can have all kinds of interesting effects on them.

 

Quote

 

Interview: Apr 8th, 2016

OdysseyCon 2016

 

Would a savant look different in the spiritual realm than a regular human?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, yes.

Tags

savant, Spiritual Realm,

 

 

 

[Spoolofwhool]

10 minutes ago, Iron Eyes said:

The internal metals may well have the most physical effect on the Allomancer, however becoming a savant of any metal alters their s-DNA which can have all kinds of interesting effects on them.

Yes, I know they are all changed, I said so. I was just discussing what causes the most changes. I didn't specify that mistings receive spiritual damage, but I didn't not.

Edited September 21, 2016 by Spoolofwhool