The origin of shardplate

[Embrisk he/him]

So, according to my knowledge, shardblade is what a spren can turn into once a strong enough relationship is attained, or a spren that has died in sword form. As there are a relatively equal number of blades and plates, I was wondering if when a person dies in the same situation, they turn into shard plate.

[Quantus he/him]

Probably not, though there is no definitive answer yet to how Plate is created, so we cant really say anything for sure. 

We have in text statements that are all but proof that it comes to a Radiant with the 4th Ideal.  We know that Plate doesnt/didnt have a sentient Mind like the shardblades do, which is why they do not seem to scream when a radiant touches them.  Theories for how it actually forms range from solidified Stormlight to lesser animalistic spren (windspren for Windrunners) that are like Squires for the radiant's spren and get solidified into plate.  However it is performed, we know it has enough of the Radiant's Identity in it to let only their own surges penetrate it.  

[Scion of the Mists]

I think it's pretty unlikely that a person would turn into Plate.  Shardplate is made from the same or a similar material to shardblades (which is basically made from Honor's godmetal).  It makes sense for the Radiant spren to be able to do that, since they're splinters of Honor/Cultivation's Investiture.  However, it makes less sense for a person to turn into a godmetal.  

There's some good discussion in this other thread:

[Embrisk he/him]

So if you were to wear someone else's shardplate, your surges wouldn't pass as easily, like in the way of kings?

[Weltall]

12 minutes ago, Servillius said:

So if you were to wear someone else's shardplate, your surges wouldn't pass as easily, like in the way of kings?

Radiant shardplate can be summoned and dismissed at will (seen as far back as the first Starfall vision, made very explicit in its reappearance in Oathbringer) so the armor probably doesn't normally persist unless the Radiant is actively wearing it, therefore it might not have been possible for someone to wear shardplate belonging to another Radiant.

That said, we do know from the latter run through the vision that Radiant shardplate interferes with other people's surgebinding just like the armor does in the present day so if you could wear another Radiant's plate it would probably also interfere with your attempts to surgebind out of it.

Edited October 23, 2018 by Weltall

[Slimy_Slider]

Depending on the summoning process, this could be an interesting idea. Encase someone else in your own shardplate to nullify their surges. Probably not possible, but you never know.

[+Invocation]

1 hour ago, Slimy_Slider said:

Depending on the summoning process, this could be an interesting idea. Encase someone else in your own shardplate to nullify their surges. Probably not possible, but you never know.

An interesting thought, but like you said, probably not possible.

[Embrisk he/him]

Yeah, that makes alot more sense 

 

It'd be alot easier to encase them in aluminium, I guess 

Edited October 25, 2018 by Servillius

[Cojiro]

On 10/23/2018 at 7:16 PM, Slimy_Slider said:

Depending on the summoning process, this could be an interesting idea. Encase someone else in your own shardplate to nullify their surges. Probably not possible, but you never know.

I actually wouldn't be surprised. You couldn't do it with "dead" shardplate, since the person who wears it is able to control it, but if it was a full radiant of the 4th Ideal, it may be possible for them to summon their shardplate around an enemy to try and imprison them. I still doubt it though, because it seems too convenient. Not to mention, we don't know how living plate works. Since it can be summoned and dismissed, does it need stormlight in the same way other plate does? Does it regrow faster than other plate? Does it have to regrow at all? However it works, it'll be incredibly useful, more so than regular plate, even if it can't imprison people.

[+Invocation]

1 hour ago, Cojiro said:

I actually wouldn't be surprised. You couldn't do it with "dead" shardplate, since the person who wears it is able to control it, but if it was a full radiant of the 4th Ideal, it may be possible for them to summon their shardplate around an enemy to try and imprison them. I still doubt it though, because it seems too convenient. Not to mention, we don't know how living plate works. Since it can be summoned and dismissed, does it need stormlight in the same way other plate does? Does it regrow faster than other plate? Does it have to regrow at all? However it works, it'll be incredibly useful, more so than regular plate, even if it can't imprison people.

It's hinted at in Oathbringer that there is probably a difference in how Radiant Plate vs dead Plate reforms. The spren that Venli and Demid are accompanied by says something along the lines of "It still regrows, even seperated from its master of long ago," suggesting that either it doesn't regrow at the same pace, or it's a different method of regrowth.