Compounding mechanics

[King Cole he/him]

I was wondering how people actually got the power from allomancy into the metalminds. Do  you have to eat the metal with the attribute stored in it or is it different

[Crucible of Shards he/him]

It's not that the power goes into the metalminds, but that the power is filtered into allomantic power when the metalmind is burned. You use the mechanics of allomancy to power feruchemy. Brandon has said that its essentially "making" a new allomantic metal.

Edit: Found the sources-

Source (#72)

ANDREW THE GREAT

What would happen if a person were to burn a metal that was Feruchemically charged using Allomancy?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

The metal used in Allomancy is like a key or a doorway to the power that Allomancy actually uses. The metal acts as a filter, much as the Aons in Elantris do, to determine what the power actually does. However, if the metal is Feruchemically charged, then it will basically become a super-burst of Feruchemical power with no Allomantic effect. The Feruchemical charge acts as a filter as well as the metal, and changes what the power does. in this case, say you were burning steel, you would just be massively speedy for a second, and wouldn't actually have the ability to push on anything Allomantically. Hope that answered the question. I get the concept, so if you need me to explain it differently, let me know and i'll try. Oh, the other thing I forgot is that this concept only works if it's a metal that you charged yourself. If it's a metal someone else charged, it would just work like regular Allomancy, and the Feruchemical charge would just cease to exist.

Edited August 18, 2017 by Crucible of Shards

[Nathrangking he/him]

Alternative to making a new metal I think it really magnifies a feruchemical power beyond ordinary levels by as has been established using the investiture power that exists within allowmancy.

[Calderis he/him]

26 minutes ago, Nathrangking said:

Alternative to making a new metal I think it really magnifies a feruchemical power beyond ordinary levels by as has been established using the investiture power that exists within allowmancy.

Which is essentially making a new allomantic metal. You're using Allomancy to have a power produced that is not native to an allomantic metal. 

Magnifying a feruchemical trait is what compounding does. 

Changing the shape of the investiture pouring in from Preservation into a new allomantic form via feruchemical priming is how it does it.

[Nathrangking he/him]

21 minutes ago, Calderis said:

Which is essentially making a new allomantic metal. You're using Allomancy to have a power produced that is not native to an allomantic metal. 

Magnifying a feruchemical trait is what compounding does. 

Changing the shape of the investiture pouring in from Preservation into a new allomantic form via feruchemical priming is how it does it.

The effect of compounding is magnification. However it does not create a new power. It activates a polar power that is attached to the metal. While the shape of the investiture may be changed I do not believe that a mysterious new power is discovered. Rather I think that the power is always there. It simply cannot be used to the degree of compounding through the ordinary means of feruchemy. It requires the combination of the two magics to "supercharge" the already existent ability.

[Calderis he/him]

@Nathrangking I'm not saying it's a "new" power. I'm saying it's using Allomancy to do something that Allomancy can't do on its own. It is a "new metal" in that it's allomantically fueling a power foreign to allomancy.

Allomantic powers are defined by the metal. If steel is burned, and the power produced is not a steel push, to looking at it purely from Allomancy it is a "new metal" 

We're speaking about Allomancy alone in that terminology. If you look at it in the wider scope, of course it's not something new. We know exactly what it's doing. 

[Nathrangking he/him]

Yes that does explain the why. I think that I have nailed a bit of the how.

Edited August 18, 2017 by Nathrangking

[Calderis he/him]

1 minute ago, Nathrangking said:

Yes that does explain the why. I think that I have nailed a bit of the how.

The how is that the charge shapes the incoming power to match the feruchemical power, which is then fueled by Allomancy, rather than the trait having been stored and recovered. 

We fully understand the how.