Invested skills

[Dancer]

Can skills in Allomancy and Surgebinding atrophy? Say if Wax or Kelsier were to stop using Allomancy for five years. When they start up again would they have the same amount of skill in their respective metals or would they have to train again? Would they lose the ability to push and/or pull on the entire length of metals or would they keep it? Would a Windrunner lose the abillity to half lash or quarter lash or would they keep it?  

[ftl]

My guess:

Their allomantic strength would remain the same. So they'd still be able to burn the same metals with the same power.

On the other hand, their skill would atrophy just as skill in doing any particular task goes away if you don't do it for 5 years. Their pushes would be less precise. Maybe a bronze-burner would have to think a bit more to recognize pulses. Their reflexes wouldn't be as fast, they might not react to things in time. that sort of thing.

[Dunkum he/him]

41 minutes ago, ftl said:

My guess:

Their allomantic strength would remain the same. So they'd still be able to burn the same metals with the same power.

On the other hand, their skill would atrophy just as skill in doing any particular task goes away if you don't do it for 5 years. Their pushes would be less precise. Maybe a bronze-burner would have to think a bit more to recognize pulses. Their reflexes wouldn't be as fast, they might not react to things in time. that sort of thing.

I'd tend to agree with this, Surgebinding is theoretically the same, provided they aren't breking or regressing in their oaths in that timeframe.  That said, I think there migth be an edge case for people on their way to becoming allomantic savants, in which case their body might begin to revert away from savantism during that time.

[Karger he/him]

Yes.  For example Wax's stealbubble is a learned skill and we see both Vin and Kelseir practicing.  Practice indicates that nothing magical is going on in the mind and if that is true then they can forget just like anyone else.