Can a leecher steal feruchemy stores?

[+Ark1002]

If a leecher touched a metalmind could they get rid of the power? We already know it can affect other magic, as it can stop sharbearers from summoning there sword. If it can't drain metalminds, could it steal feruchemy being used? (say pewter feruchemist taps strength, could a leecher stal that strength?)

[Calderis he/him]

I believe that the way leecher functions requires touching the body of the person using a form of investiture. 

So I think that they would purge the investiture being transferred during storing or tapping... But I don't think they can just destroy the metalmind itself, unless that metalmind is piercing the body, like Miles'.

[+Ark1002]

I always assumed it meant it had to be touching the invested object. Like how in the newspaper thing in Bands of Mourning, the leecher touched a gun and it turned off. I actually believe that it was a true story, as it made a mention to Hoid, used a curse from Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, and the guns blasts resembled descriptions of shades.

[Calderis he/him]

Maybe... I'm super skeptical on that though, partly because of this. 

Quote

Kaymyth

I asked the question about chromium vs a Compounder with both invested and un-Invested metals in both their stomach and piercings.

Brandon Sanderson

What it boils down to is this:

1) Yes, the piercings will get burned off.

2) The non-Invested metals go before the Invested ones. He said that because invested metals are harder to [affect], it takes a little extra time and effort to get them to burn off. So a Leecher trying to clean out a Compounder would have to get a good grip and hang on for a few seconds.

3) Chromium burns about as quickly as duralumin, so if you're trying to burn off a lot of metals, it is possible to run out of chromium before your target is clean. This would probably only be an issue when dealing with larger pieces (like jewelry) rather than your standard metal-flakes-in-the-stomach deal.

source

In a compounder, chromium would burn up the uninvested metal first, and then it would hit the invested metal... And still consume the metal itself, and at a slower rate than the uninvested, not just wipe the investiture. 

There's also the idea that if a leecher can just touch metal and burn it that makes it far more Tha  just external aluminum, because they could use their power to burrow into like, bank vaults and sabotage buildings and things. 

[Quantus he/him]

11 hours ago, Calderis said:

Maybe... I'm super skeptical on that though, partly because of this. 

In a compounder, chromium would burn up the uninvested metal first, and then it would hit the invested metal... And still consume the metal itself, and at a slower rate than the uninvested, not just wipe the investiture. 

There's also the idea that if a leecher can just touch metal and burn it that makes it far more Tha  just external aluminum, because they could use their power to burrow into like, bank vaults and sabotage buildings and things. 

Agreed, I tend to think that it's External Aluminum to trigger the mass-burn off, but it's using the target allomancer's Spiritweb to accomplish it (not their own since a Leecher misting's spiritweb only knows Chromium), meaning you couldnt just burn it off outside the aura/physical aspect of an allowmancer.  Though that does open up some really interesting tech mining possibilities with Ettmetal...

11 hours ago, Ark1002 said:

I always assumed it meant it had to be touching the invested object. Like how in the newspaper thing in Bands of Mourning, the leecher touched a gun and it turned off. I actually believe that it was a true story, as it made a mention to Hoid, used a curse from Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, and the guns blasts resembled descriptions of shades.

I think the Turned Off part of that is the key, leechers affect kinetic Investure, it has to be actively moving/doing something.  I think the popular theory out of some of those broadsheet entries is that there might be some Awakened objected on Scadrial.