BinarySecond

Yes you're absolutely right!

Found this elsewhere on the site after a quick search.

The investment (ha) to create a Phantom is steep indeed.

We need an invested soldier bracket. I have been confusing Direforms for Magnified Ones (Yazed-im).

I do wonder regarding the logistics of the creation of a 1xKalad's Phantom vs 1xKoloss vs 1xRegal

So when it comes to fielding an army the speed at which numbers can be accrued and the associated investiture cost is something I would consider.

Shashara developed single breath awakening which was used to create the Phantom's - But I'm quite sceptical by the written prose that a Phantom would only take a single breath.

Happy to read anything that gives a clearer answer as to the cost. But could range from 50:1 (pre Manywar cost) to 1:1.

It does seem that the creation of a Phantom is going to be very involved. Clean skeleton, encased in stone which doesn't seem all that quick! I would really love to read Vasher's notebooks from his time developing them.

You could acquire the breath from a person and then use them to make the lifeless so that would go some way to limiting the external costs for creation.

Koloss is a 4:1 but it's rapid. I envisage a stacked table like the hemurgic poster so you can create the spikes and place them immediately. 

I don't think there's any opportunity cost for a Regal, nothing has to be sacrificed to create a single soldier in the same way you would a Koloss or Lifeless.

In terms of timing you need a Highstorm (or at least you did) - You get a spike (hehe) in production every storm.

Account for no shardic intervention I think I would choose Regals, and if pressed Direforms.

Thank you That's very interesting!

On 6/14/2026 at 3:40 PM, Trusk'our said:

Why not use Rosharan humans to build your Koloss? Or transform Singers in Warform or Direform to become elite Koloss brutes?

That's a very interesting question - Using the same Hemalurgic method but on differently invested worlds...Identical result or would there be variance?

On 12/6/2025 at 8:09 PM, ookla the Ghibli lover said:

They are both blobs

Let her cook

2 hours ago, Ookla the Knight said:

It is possible that they are both true on the different planets. Remember, Roshar has much harsher weather and terrain, but also no need for supply lines, so can retreat faster as well. Not to mention shards.

Scadrial on the other hand, has no soulcaster or shardbearers, and didn't seem to militarize allomancers much in era 1, and also has genteler terrain and weather conditions (an ashfall is much nicer than a highstorm) and so the dynamic could be very different on different worlds.

I would echo this.

Also 30-40% vs The Lord Ruler (or for him) makes more sense. You're likely to be hunted and killed if you lose to you may end up fighting like hell to avoid that.

On 11/20/2025 at 12:22 PM, Treamayne said:

Mistborn Book 1 - Vin uses pewter dust to blind the Inquisitors. TFE Ch 36:

  Reveal hidden contents

Vin dashed forward, flaring her pewter. The remaining Inquisitor moved to block her, but she reached inside her cloak and threw out a large handful of pewter dust.

The Inquisitor stopped, confused. To his “eyes” he would see nothing but a mess of blue lines—each one leading to a speck of metal. With so many sources of metal concentrated in one place, the lines would be virtually blinding.

The Inquisitor spun, angry, as Vin dashed past him. He Pushed against the dust, blowing it away, but as he did so, Vin whipped out a glass dagger and flipped it toward him. In the confusing mess of blue lines and atium shadows, he missed noticing the dagger, and it took him square in the thigh.

Hope that helps

Thank you! Vin Pocket sand memory unlocked.

On 11/14/2025 at 7:46 PM, DoctaDajman said:

I was thinking of inquisitors sight and how epic it would be to lightweave a thick mist of darkness around an arena stealing vision from enemies. 

Perhaps lightweaving a globe of darkness around a specific persons head could work as well but I am unsure if it is possible. I mean Shallan did lightweave disguises for other people if I am not mistaken. If that was from a distance and those disguises stuck why would that never be used offensively to destroy vision? 

A truthwatcher would make for a fun themed character too. Maybe instead of a dark cube just lightweave a bright box of light to oversaturate the world of the opponent.  

 

This made me think of a flashbang for Steel/Iron sight. Like Chaff but with metal dust. Unless that already featured in the books and I forgot?

On 10/29/2025 at 4:32 PM, DracoAdamantus said:

Aside from aluminum, at least. Ralkalest (the unforgeable metal) is the name for aluminum in the Rose Empire, and Surgebinding does not work on aluminum

Yes indeed, I should have been more specific as the usage of these arts do not have any metal required to put into practice (AFAIK). Surgebinding requires Investiture as fuel, and Sel arts require that appropriate symbology to access the Dor.

Aluminium is just one of those things. It's the ultimate sink for Investiture - Silver would probably affect both arts as well in some form - Waiting on Brandon to put some answers into text.

4 hours ago, Stormtide_Leviathan said:

I'm not convinced this is as true as it seems. A big theme in mistborn is learning past misconceptions about the world, and the magic especially. I could believe that hemulurgy isn't, in fact, limited to metals, but scadrians who think of magic in association with metal have only learned about those applications. And it's always seemed odd to me that so many hemulurgic metals are used for "this specific subset of this specific magic system" when hemulurgy is meant to be a more universal system. If this is because there's a lot more two it than those 16 metals, using half of them on specific magic systems makes more sense

I think this is also compounded by the relevance of metals Cosmere wide. We've seen it with Fabrials, the metals function similarly with these devices as they do with a Mistborn, with Tress, with the Silver whips for shades. It seems like it's so often present in some form but it's not always necessary. Sel's Invested Arts appears to be pretty metal agnostic, as does Surgebinding.

The application of Hemalurgy staples a fragment of a donor spirit web onto a recipient spirit web. If a Spren not equivalent in some way to a fragment of spirit web it should be possible to attach it to someone else via an similar means (As opposed to a voluntary Nahel bond). I suspect that the gem spikes contain a spren similar to an Alerter but rather than detecting life it should detect investiture. I don't think we have a comprehensive list of what spren are used to create what effects.

The metals don't set the effects, they just apply a modifier to it. 

Edit: An additional thought you could probably create a spike that is also a Fabrial to turn your crystal spikes from "normal visions" into telescopic vision, or tuning like an analogue television.

On 10/22/2025 at 5:40 PM, Qianweilian said:

I mean, TLR is more of a plot device than an actual antagonist.

That's kind of the point I'm making though, he's so strong that for a protagonist character it wouldn't be a satisfying long term. 

Star Wars would be pretty boring if Luke defeats Darth Vader in their first encounter. "Don't worry Obi Wan - I've got this"

I'm writing more because something was bothering me. Antagonists are plot devices. Further, if we wanted to be extremely reductive about the perspective we take on stories, everything could be, in some fashion, considered a plot device.

On 10/12/2025 at 2:15 AM, bmcclure7 said:

Well I hope you’re wrong as have characters with cool powers is what brought me to the cosmere his underpowered books are alright but don’t think I would be interested in cosmere where they were the norm

I think a happy medium allows for more interesting stories. Imagine Stormlight if Kaladin was as strong as TLR.

I think Wax fits in that happy medium as a good example, prior to his final book at least. He's got some powers and he's nicely creative with application of them.

Our Knight Radiants are similar, until 4th/5th Ideal at least. IMHO.

1 hour ago, bmcclure7 said:

Are there any guns that can actually harm spirit web directly? Perhaps the shard guns

If you shoot someone with a bullet, and the intent to make a hemalurgic spike...would it?

"God made man. Sam Colt made them equal."

That's a very nice highly invested spirit web. It would be a shame if something were to happen to you.

So anyway I started blasting.

On 9/26/2025 at 3:06 AM, aetherbound said:

since Hoid is arguably a Brandon Sanderson self-insert

Brandon refutes this.

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/451-tor-instagram-livestream/#e14465

I also think the manacles would prevent the arms from being injured.

Anything strong enough to break through the protection is strong enough to break the manacles I suspect.

1 hour ago, Nitpicking said:

Not silver?

I also thought Dralumin, as it amplified the clash between Rayse and Tanavast. Assuming what we know from Mistborn holds true universally but it certainly seems to based on Navani's lectures on Fabrial Mechanics.

I would think it is the nature of Braize than stops Cognitive Shadows from leaving the Rosharan system.

This would affect the Heralds as well; a rather neat solution to the question I can see being asked "Why aren't the Heralds just ending the war immediately" - They couldn't even if they wanted to.

Autonomy is deciding your own path for yourself.

Dusks entire arc is finding out what he wants to do for himself after his previous life ended. 

He wants to preserve the autonomy of his own people within the Cosmere. It tracks for me.

On 8/17/2025 at 6:03 AM, lacrossedeamon said:

unkey worm paste

At this point Brandon could be mocking us and we'd never realise.

On 7/27/2025 at 3:26 AM, Nitpicking said:

Your quote says that Taravangian is dead.

By "Brandon is wrong," I obviously am not hallucinating that I'm in charge of the Cosmere. I'm saying that Brandon's allergy to letting his characters die is, to my personal taste, a flaw.

I think there's a few ways to interpret "Taravangian was dead"

In the literal sense, dead and gone

In the sense of "Kaladin falling off Urithiru being dead"

When you break something and you think of your parents "Oh I'm dead."

8 hours ago, robardin said:

You assume Mr. T is still the Vessel of a shardic dyad called Retribution in the Cosmere Space Age (Era 4?)... Definitely there were hints that may not be the case, if you choose to interpret them that way...

I don't assume that; I just think it could happen while he's the holder. He's got at least 20 Rosharan years I think; he's got the Blackthorn, I could see him considering additional Fused as an option for his war.

I think back to Words of Radiance when they've reached Urithiru and Dalinar is moaning all his lost commanders and High Prince Roion, even Sadeas.

Having highly skilled commanders/soldiers you don't really mind losing per battle is a great boon if you're a utilitarian monster.

I think they could be retired. They only real reason Rayse didn't make more was because of the deal with Honour I believe? No more Heralds, no more Fused.

Taravangian is very likely to make any "tool" he sees as necessary.

I was wondering if it was something to do with modifying intent whilst holding the Shard. Lots of people (I think) are expecting something like Discord to emerge - which I think would fit with a Cosmere wide war - Given the Shadowy Sazed that is seen in TLM.

2 hours ago, Yvainnie said:

Could be but we saw that even humans like Navani and Kaladin started to feel rhytms, so may be all Rosharans are this way.

I think it's a real possibility for that to become innate for all Rosharans. Rock can hear them without outside assistance, if faintly.

He's got Singer ancestry though so I suppose it's hard to say for certain.

I do want the Skybreaker to be a Singer though because I think it would be cool.