Lilamal he/him Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 I'm not sure if this has been confirmed, but I've been thinking about the possibility of excessive surgebinding having side effects. On Scadrial, Allomantic savants are, while somewhat rare, not difficult to create. There are already signs that stormlight could be addictive, and I was thinking that if it was possible to gather enough stormlight to be constantly infused for a long period of time they could become not only addicted but perhaps stretch their bodies like an allomancer who flared their metals for too long. If this is possible, what could the effects be? Perhaps become more susceptible to stormlight, and be able to hold it longer? Be able too draw out more power with less infusion? In White Sand, overusing their power increased it greatly, and in Mistborn, it did so as well. Allomantic savants have drawbacks, as shown by Spook in the second and third books, but it definitely increased his power. There's plenty of examples to be found all over the cosmere, and I want to know what it might do to a surgebinder.
Gasper he/him Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 Well, we have seen Soulcasting savants who do not have the Nahel bond to negate some of the damage. They start looking like the essence they use the most and eventually die from it. A Knights Radiant might experience something similar, but it is likely that their Spren prevents some of the more....extreme effects of overusing their surges.
Lilamal he/him Posted February 13, 2019 Author Posted February 13, 2019 True. It would probably be most obvious in those who use Honorblades. And it was said that surgebinding too much with one of them could be dangerous, for various reasons.... perhaps this was one of them.
Scion of the Mists Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 Yes, as @Gasper points out, this is confirmed in the books (i.e. the Kaza interlude). You can also check out the Coppermind page for savantism.
Pathfinder Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 There is also a WoB that confirms the nahel bond provides some insulation protecting the radiant from the negative effects of over soulcasting. It could still potentially happen to the radiant, but you would have to be soulcasting a whole long, very very often (or at least that portion is implied). Will dig and try to pull it up for reference.
CrazyRioter she/her Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 Here is the relevant WoB Quote Questioner 1 [PENDING REVIEW] Do all Soulcasters risk turning into the element or is it only those using the device? Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW] All Soulcasters have an affinity but the ones using the device are locked down much more than the Soulcasters who are Knights Radiant. Questioner 1 [PENDING REVIEW] So they are protected from being turned into-- Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW] Oh no they-- I wouldn't say protected... *clarificaiton* Protected is the wrong term but that event, the savanthood and how it affects them and things like that is much less pronounced if you are a [Knight]. Questioner 1 [PENDING REVIEW] Or is that counteracted by the healing as well? Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW] Healing doesn't have to do with it because-- in cosmere terms there's nothing wrong with your body, your spirit is actually drifting, and so it's not hurting you physically by what's happening with the magics. So it's not the healing but if you have an active bond with a spren it takes a little different path. Let's just say, in simple terms-- Questioner 1 [PENDING REVIEW] You are not losing body parts to smoke. Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW] Yes, you are not using body parts to smoke. Questioner 1 [PENDING REVIEW] What timeframe does it happen for the normal Soulcasters then? Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW] For normal Soulcasters? It takes-- I mean, you've seen it happening in the books. We are talking [about] a process of years even decades, depending on the person. It happens to some-- Questioner 2 [PENDING REVIEW] Depending on how often they Soulcast? Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW] It depends on how often they Soulcast, and it depends on the person. Oathbringer Leeds signing (Dec. 1, 2017) So it's not exactly "protection" it's just that the effects are different if you are Soulcasting through a nahel bond. 1
Pathfinder Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 1 hour ago, CrazyRioter said: Here is the relevant WoB So it's not exactly "protection" it's just that the effects are different if you are Soulcasting through a nahel bond. Great catch! Thanks for finding and posting it!
Lilamal he/him Posted February 13, 2019 Author Posted February 13, 2019 So it's not the soulcasting that causes you them to change like that, it's the act of using stormlight and interfering with the Cognitive Realm? So if someone using an Honorblade or something like a soulcaster that has a different function were to use it too much, they might change like the old soulcaster users do? Then why did that not happen to Szeth?
Scion of the Mists Posted February 13, 2019 Posted February 13, 2019 54 minutes ago, Lilamal said: So it's not the soulcasting that causes you them to change like that, it's the act of using stormlight and interfering with the Cognitive Realm? So if someone using an Honorblade or something like a soulcaster that has a different function were to use it too much, they might change like the old soulcaster users do? Then why did that not happen to Szeth? Szeth did not Surgebind nearly enough for savantism to set in. As mentioned in the WoB, it can take decades for Soulcasting to cause changes. 1
Pathfinder Posted February 14, 2019 Posted February 14, 2019 18 hours ago, Scion of the Mists said: Szeth did not Surgebind nearly enough for savantism to set in. As mentioned in the WoB, it can take decades for Soulcasting to cause changes. Thing is, and this is theoretical mind you, a soulcaster with the fabrial reaches a limit to what they can soulcaster. That is why they need multiple soulcasters (the people with the fabrial) to make a wind break in the warcamps. Szeth on the other hand can channel as much stormlight as he has to add as many lashes to something as he wishes. So while with soulcasters, there seems to be a power limit, so their savantism relies on frequency, Szeth could have used his powers over a lesser number of times, but channeled greater quantities and thereby potentially reach savantism quicker. Basically the difference between Spoiler flaring a metal (spook with tin), and keeping one running constant (clubs with copper)
Scion of the Mists Posted February 14, 2019 Posted February 14, 2019 11 minutes ago, Pathfinder said: Thing is, and this is theoretical mind you, a soulcaster with the fabrial reaches a limit to what they can soulcaster. That is why they need multiple soulcasters (the people with the fabrial) to make a wind break in the warcamps. Szeth on the other hand can channel as much stormlight as he has to add as many lashes to something as he wishes. So while with soulcasters, there seems to be a power limit, so their savantism relies on frequency, Szeth could have used his powers over a lesser number of times, but channeled greater quantities and thereby potentially reach savantism quicker. Basically the difference between Hide contents flaring a metal (spook with tin), and keeping one running constant (clubs with copper) Right, and Szeth in the middle of a battle is basically flaring his powers. However, he's not doing that for a very large percentage of the time, just when he's fighting. He didn't assassinate all that many people (just a key handful). Whereas, (Mistborn spoilers) Spoiler Spook was flaring his metals basically nonstop.
Pathfinder Posted February 14, 2019 Posted February 14, 2019 11 minutes ago, Scion of the Mists said: Right, and Szeth in the middle of a battle is basically flaring his powers. However, he's not doing that for a very large percentage of the time, just when he's fighting. He didn't assassinate all that many people (just a key handful). Whereas, (Mistborn spoilers) Reveal hidden contents Spook was flaring his metals basically nonstop. One could potentially put forward that Szeth uses his powers much like Spoiler Kelsier, who we know was a steel savant. But I see what you are getting at. We haven't seen anything to indicate Szeth is actually a savant. He does seem to overuse his surges in great quantities, but that by itself does not confirm savantism or not.
Scion of the Mists Posted February 14, 2019 Posted February 14, 2019 3 minutes ago, Pathfinder said: But I see what you are getting at. We haven't seen anything to indicate Szeth is actually a savant. He does seem to overuse his surges in great quantities, but that by itself does not confirm savantism or not. Right we have no indication that he has either the benefits or drawbacks of savantism.
Recommended Posts