Lindel

It would be difficult to break through a wooden door with a Directional Imprint, and virtually impossible to even get through a stone wall, so I think it's safe to say that tunneling through that much solid rock would be impossible. A Directional Imprint receives only that single burst of momentum when first Imprinted. I imagine it more like a Steel push, rather than a Lashing, the main difference being that the push can't be sustained beyond that initial burst. I definitely see the parallels in the terminology, though. I may need to tweak those a bit. I have not, although Haradion drew that parallel as well. I hope it's similar in a good way, not an, "I accidentally ripped this right out of the pages of a book I've never read" way.

Thanks! My favorite? I'm going to have to say Mistborn. I just love the characters, the magic system is pretty much perfect, and the story is just so storming epic!

An Imprint is pictured clearly in your mind as it is traced, so all that's required is to visualize those specifications. It's not possible to tell for certain which kind is being Imprinted as it's traced, although you can sometimes get a pretty good idea of what it is based on context and body language. That's actually a very interesting point, as it would be interesting to play with your opponent's assumptions in a fight, for example, trying to read your opponent while bluffing as you trace your own Imprints. Thanks for bringing that up! Directional Imprints do eventually lose their momentum, both from a combination of air resistance and friction, as well as gravity, which they are still effected by, unlike Static Imprints. That's an interesting question. I hadn't thought of that. I'm not entirely certain of the answer, actually. I'd imagine the older Imprint may override any future attempts, but what would happen if you managed to Imprint them at exactly the same time? I'm leaning toward Static Imprints simply always overriding Directional Imprints, although that seems like the boring way out. I'll tell you my reasoning. As I see it now, the thing that makes a Directional Imprint unique is that it comes into existence along with a powerful burst of energy that propels it in a specific direction. It will keep moving until it is stopped, whether than be by air resistance, the effect of gravity, or a Static Imprint. Does that seem like a logical solution? Imprinting revolves around taking a thought from your mind, and literally painting the concept into natural world. It becomes progressively more difficult to master as you move up through the types of Imprints, as the difficulty lies in the complexity of the idea you're attempting to Imprint. A Basic Imprint can generally be drawn with minimal concentration. As long as you're an Imprinter, and you have a brush and ink, you can generally create as many basic Imprints as your heart desire, assuming you have the time and ink for your project. All Imprinting is directly limited by time constraints, as the object literally has to be painted into the air meaning that to Imprint a larger, more complicated object you would also need to be able to move around it to access all angles. Picture Imprinting as a form of exercise for your mind. Basic Imprinting is like reaching out and picking something up. You could do it pretty much all day with few ill effects, although heavier objects are obviously more strenuous and will wear you out. Directional Imprinting is like walking. Fairly easy, but it can be tiring over extended period of time. Static Imprinting, then, is like jogging. It will wear you out if you keep it up, but it's not that difficult. Bound Imprinting, then, is like running. Doing it too often wears you out a lot, and you'll have to rest before you can even muster up the energy for a Directional Imprint if you overdo it.

They're spiking tamales now? My, they're getting clever. I'm always suspicious of baked goods, but tamales... now that's a different matter. I'll have to be more careful.

Thanks much! It's nothing personal, but I may still have to slice open the doughnut and check it anyway. It's a compliment, honestly! I won't even touch the cookie Voidus tried to give me.

Thanks, glad you like it. (EDIT: By the way, you're right on about the limitations, I'm really glad that you noticed that.) -At least as far as most Imprinters are currently aware, an Imprinted object can only be dismissed/dispelled by its creator. There are certain aspects of Imprinting they haven't discovered yet that may make this possible, though. -There is currently no limit to the number of Imprints beyond the amount of ink available to a particular Imprinter. -Good observation. I forgot to mention, but yes, Brushes are a unique tool. I'm not fully decided on the process to create a Brush, although I'm fairly certain a special kind of ink is required as well. The inks also come in color, although currently the colors have no functional difference, and they're more expensive, so black is more common. It's a sign of a more wealthy Imprinter if he or she uses colored ink. -Imprints last until their creator dismisses them. -An Imprinted object compared to an ordinary object? If so, yes. An Imprinted object has a strange texture and appearance, almost like wet ink, with streaks along its surface. It holds its shape exactly as it was Imprinted, so one that was hastily scrawled before Imprinting might also have unnatural smudges around the edges. -Depends on the situation. Weight makes a difference. An Imprinted object, especially one that's hollow inside, as they often are, is exceptionally durable, but quite light, so in the case of a Directional Imprinting, it may be more effective, or more time effecient, to use an actual rock, or a piece of furniture. Great question! This was indeed heavily influenced by Sanderon's Laws. His First Law was particularly important in this case, as it basically shaped the limitations, which feeds into his Second Law. Essentially, I really want people to understand the capabilities of the magic, and the limitations those capabilities imply. With this system, I wanted to create a toolbox of abilities that are easy to understand, but have a wide variety of applications and natural limitations. There are also a few hidden appendages of the system that those using the magic don't know about, of course. I'm only just reaching the point of working it into the world (Sanderson's Third Law), as I want to make sure the basics were internally consistent before building up a world around it. Thanks again for your excellent questions!

Here's a magic system that's been on my mind recently, so I thought I'd share. It's a more recent system. I only got the initial concept for this about three days ago, so it's still pretty rough. Anyway, without further ado, here it is. The basic premise behind Imprinting is simple. Sketch lines with a brush that take on a physical shape in the air. As an object is Traced, it is visible, but completely intangible. Once Imprinted, however, it takes on a solid form, appearing as a physical object of black ink. An Imprinted object is quite durable, but also exceptionally light. All Imprints follow these rules, but there are five subsets that have their own unique properties. The first type is a Basic Imprint. A Basic Imprint behaves exactly as an ordinary object, dropping to the ground if it was Imprinted midair, and it's able to be handled like any other object.The second is a Directional Imprint. Directional Imprints are very similar to Basic Imprints, but are given a single direction and a speed upon Imprinting, and it instantly hurls itself in that direction and the desired speed. A simple application of a directional Imprint is a bullet. One simply draws a single dot, Imprints it as a Directional Imprint traveling at high speeds toward your desired target.The third is a Static Imprint, which remains in exactly the same location upon Imprinting. A Static Imprint will not budge from its location, event under tremendous amounts of force. A simple application of a Static Imprint might be a makeshift ladder. Draw a rung, step up, draw the next. Repeat. The fourth type of Imprint is called a Bound Imprint. A Bound Imprint bestows all the qualities of one of the other three types of Imprints upon a preexisting object. The binding between the Imprint and the bound object is virtually inseparable. The Imprint itself will give out long before the connection. As with ordinary Imprints, there are three subtypes of Bound Imprints. A Basic Bound Imprint simply serves as an extension to the bound object. You know those annoying paper grocery bags with no handles? Just add a couple Imprinted handles of your own. Problem solved! A Directional Bound Imprint bestows all the properties of a Directional Imprint onto the object it is bound to. Pick up a rock, smear some ink on it, and send it flying at someone's face. The last of the Bound Imprints, Static Bound Imprint, again, bestows the qualities of an ordinary Static Imprint on the bound object. For example, a valuable object could be locked in place to guard against theft, or a lantern could be suspended midair. The fifth and final type of Imprint is called a Fluid Imprint. Fluid Imprints are generally considered fairly useless. They behave much like a Basic Imprint, but they don't hold their shape. They can be molded like clay, and bend under any amount of pressure. Other than the fact that you can change it up after Imprinting (as can anyone else), there's really no practical reason you'd use a Fluid Imprint rather than a Basic. Hopefully I haven't bored you out of your storming mind. If I have, don't blame me. You're the one who went ahead read the entire thing. Anyway, obligatory self-deprecation aside, what do you think? Any and all questions, suggestions, and critiques are welcome! (Unless you really are just bored, in which case I highly recommend evacuating until I get the hang of injecting humor into the description.)

I think I'll pass on the cookie. I'd be interested in observing the effects if one of you were to eat it, though.

Thanks for the welcome! I'll see if I can get up at least one magic system by tomorrow, so keep an eye out. There are a few in particular that seriously need expanding in that area. Looking forward to seeing your input!

No, I wish. Though it made perfect sense once they explained it. I'd always wondered where Lerasium fit into the picture, so I appreciated the explanation of the God Metals vs Basic Metals. I did figure out Chronium and its alloy, though. The possibilities I came up with were 1), an enhancement bubble that super-powered Allomancy inside it and a paired metal that could create a bubble to cancel out Allomancy, or 2), an external equivalent of Aluminium and Duralumin. I thought #1 would be awesome, but I decided #2 was more likely. Turns out I was right! After reading Mistborn, I also came up with essentially the same Feruchemical property that it turns out Chronium has as a sort of "fan-fiction" Feruchemical ability, so it was pretty cool to find out that Brandon had the exact same idea!

Thanks for the warm welcome! Hemalurgy, unsurprisingly, has always kinda creeped me out, although I can't help wracking my brain for other applications of the art. I've found that it's nothing like Allomancy, where I can sit down for an hour and deduce the last two metals before even starting Alloy of Law. Much more complicated stuff, Hemalurgy. But I guess that's the idea.

I've been lurking for some time now, but I've finally decided to get an account. I'm a fairly recently converted Cosmere fan, (is there an official term used for a member of the fandom?), but I consider myself fairly well versed in the basic cosmology. I have yet to read WoR, which I've been trying to get a copy of for months now. I'll probably end up just buying it, which is what I should have done to begin with. Anyway, I also fairly recently picked up a obsession with building magic systems. Complete coincidence, of course... I don't claim to be any good, but I do find it thoroughly enjoyable, and seeing as the best way to learn is through the critiques of those more experienced in the craft, I doubt this forum will escape without at least a few posts regarding my magic systems. Whether anyone else will benefit from such rants remains to be seen.