Recent entries

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13953 Copy

    Phantine

    Is there more to metallurgy in mistborn than just trying to aim for the 'perfect' ratio for alloys? Like, can you make pewter that gives more strength but less endurance, or brass that soothes anger better, but doesn't work as well for other emotions?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, unfortunately that isn't the way Allomancy works.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13954 Copy

    sebarial

    Would a Feruchemist actively storing Identity be more susceptible to Forgery? Would more outlandish changes be able to take effect? Thanks for your time, and have a wonderful day.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, if you store Identity, it makes you susceptible to ALL KINDS of things in the Cosmere. Forgery would be on the short list.

    bubblebooy

    Does the difficulty of affecting metals in a body with Allomancy have to do with Identity?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, more to do with the fact that most people are innately Invested in the Cosmere--and certain planets have extra Investiture. Something Invested is more difficult to transform/move/etc with another form of Investiture.

    bubblebooy

    That is what I had originally thought before you capitalized "ALL KINDS." Is Soulcasting people like Jasnah Kholin did doubly hard since people a have a strong sense of Identity and have innate Investiture?

    Brandon Sanderson

    We're getting a bit far on this course, so it's time to pull out the RAFOs. I don't want to overplay my hand and leave the books without anything to talk about. :)

    Phantine

    Does that 'inside a body' thing work on most magics?

    For instance, if Han stuck Luke into a Mistborn Tauntaun (a distant and unlucky relative of the mistborn llama), would Luke be protected from both the cold and emotional allomancy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He'd have to get him inside a living one.

    It does work on most magics, though the interactions can be odd unless you know a lot about the workings. Emotional Allomancy, for example, works by lapping against the outsides of someone's cognitive self, influencing you the way music might stir your soul. So being inside a living body wouldn't necessarily stop it--you'd just have more interference. Kind of like how you can still hear music outside if it's loud enough.

    Actual mind control in the cosmere requires you to get INSIDE the soul, which you've seen happen frequently enough. There has to be a gap or an opening.

    Or, conversely, you just have to be so powerful that you can push through the interference.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13955 Copy

    i_do_stuff

    Hoid likes to be in interesting places. What was so interesting about the Yomen/Joshin wedding that he had to be there?

    Brandon Sanderson

    In that case, he went to congratulate friends. Not everything is about large-scale cosmere problems.

    WeiryWriter

    Is there anything you are willing to say about how he befriended them?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Afraid not.

    Footnote: The characters are a shout-out to two of the 17th Shard admins, Josh and Mi'chelle, who had just been married in real life.
    #hoid
    Sources: Reddit
    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13956 Copy

    yurisses

    You once said that Investiture follows its own version of the laws of thermodynamics. The first one is that Investiture is neither created nor destroyed.

    Is the second law of Investodynamics that the amount of corrupted Investiture in the Cosmere cannot decrease?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Basically, the idea is that there is a third item in the equations--matter, energy, and investiture. That's the basis of how they work.

    Entropy is not corrupted Investiture. The second law stands as is. However, there is a fourth law that relates to Adonalsium, which I'm not going to talk about at the moment.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13958 Copy

    darklordreddit

    With bits and pieces of the respective pieces of Harmony still laying about, is Harmony actually skewed in one way or another if slightly and does Sazed's personality circumvent this in any way ?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Personality can always circumvent the powers--it just gets harder and harder to hold out as centuries pass.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13959 Copy

    theblackthorne

    I find the Shin fascinating. Given their reputation for docility and Szeth's internal monologues, am I right in thinking that the Shin do not feel The Thrill?

    If so, is this due to the protection of Cultivation or sheer distance from Nergaoul? And finally, is an awareness or fear of the Thrill the reason for the Shin societal disdain for soldiers or is it primarily to discourage use of the honour blades?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Distance is the big factor here, though there are cultural reasons for things as well. In addition, being very close to something tied to Honor reduces the effects of things like the Thrill. As for the Shin culture, you'll find a great deal in the next three books, so I'd rather not say much now.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13960 Copy

    awakenedtassel

    My wife really wants to know whether Vasher has had children, or wants to have children. It would mean a lot to her to find out from you!

    Brandon Sanderson

    Vasher doesn't have kids, but he really does want them. Or, at least, he has wanted them at most points in his life.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13962 Copy

    Deathbyfire222

    Hi Brandon! My friend and I are putting together a Dungeons and Dragons campaign based in Roshar, and were toying with the idea of players being Shardbearers. Unfortunately, only a few of the stances (i.e. Windstance, Smokestance) are mentioned in the books.

    Have you given thought to what the rest of the stances are, and the qualities they emulate in combat? What are they?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Going into the Stances in depth is going to be tough for me as I am answering on mobile. But yes, I have thought about them all. They should all appear in the books eventually.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13963 Copy

    Logic_Nuke

    Could decapitation kill a Gold Compounder? With a guillotine, for example?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Most forms of extreme cosmere healing don't care much what is done to the physical body, as the person's spiritual template is in power at the time.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13964 Copy

    yurisses

    So I was wondering how you'd spin Szeth's new sword into The Stormlight Archive's narrative. I know it's very similar to the Shardblades, but its differences are going to be worthy of explanation, if the new sword is going to appear as frequently as a planned Szeth-centric book suggests.

    So, if I am not missing anything, either the differences 1) will be explained vaguely, or 2) will be integrated into the greater lore (Cosmere/Zahel), or 3) will be somehow integrated into The Stormlight Archive's own magic system.

    And since the sword's emitted Investiture is black and compared to stormlight by Szeth, this is my question: is the blade's "corrupted stormlight" related to anything else we've seen so far in TSA? (e.g. Gavilar's sphere...)

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO. :)

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13965 Copy

    mooglefrooglian

    1) How simple is it to bond an Honorblade? Is it just a matter of willing it? Shardblades need gemstones, but it seems like Honorblades might not even need those.

    2) Do you need to be bonded to an Honorblade to Surgebind? Or is just holding it in your hand sufficient?

    3) Do you need to be bonded to an Honorblade for it to change your eye color? Or would holding it in your hand be sufficient to do the eye color trick?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13966 Copy

    defiantburrito

    Taravangian: On his "Special Day" where he created the Diagram, was he actually as smart as he thinks he was, or was something else going on? It seems suspicious that any level of raw intelligence would let him deduce all of that...

    Brandon Sanderson

    That sure IS suspicious, eh? Let's just say that HE believes it was rational deduction. But other theories are valid.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13967 Copy

    defiantburrito

    The Hero of Ages prophecy: For a while it seemed to me that the prophecy was entirely bogus (invented by Ruin as a lure), but it ended up coming true! So my question is, where did the prophecy actually come from? Was it Atium in some form, or something else entirely?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The religions of Scadrial had a lot of ups and downs. First, you have Ruin and Preservation working together as two gods. Then you have the schism between them, and Preservation betraying Ruin, with Preservation adapting the religion to his own needs and trying to hide in it practices that will keep Ruin imprisoned as long as possible, and then give a chance to defeat him when he escapes. (As Preservation assumes he'll be dead by then.) Finally, you have Ruin corrupting the religions with his influence, trying to figure out what he can twist to his own needs--while missing the hidden layers that Preservation left.

    Phantine

    Were there a lot of Hero of Ages who ascended beyond the ones we directly saw in the books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I wouldn't say so.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13968 Copy

    theleadingman

    Objects used for awakening turn gray. A limb cut with a shardblade turns gray. You mentioned earlier in this thread that the color of gemstones on Roshar is important. Is there a connection between these?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Between those two things? Yes.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13970 Copy

    Cheese_Ninja

    Kaladin: “Have you ever had to choose between two equally distasteful choices?” Vasher: “Every day I choose to keep breathing.”

    Does that mean he needs to consume Stormlight on a daily basis rather than weekly?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is more mundane than that. Vasher is indicating that not letting himself die is a tough choice for him.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13973 Copy

    Oudeis16

    Bronze has always been my favorite allomantic metal. Could a Seeker learn to sense familiar pulses? Could Marsh, for example, have felt the bronzepulses of pewter, and been able to tell the difference between some Thug he'd never met and his friend Ham? Or is pewter is pewter is pewter?

    Brandon Sanderson

    If he recognized something about the burning, it would have to be in the personal way someone was burning the metal. However, Bronze is capable of sensing other types of investiture. Expand from that as you wish.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13976 Copy

    Faera

    How far does a forger need to understand a particular skill in order to replicate that skill in their forgery? For example:

    • To forge a painting, it's implied that Shai had to learn painting skills from a master. But it's obviously unfeasible that she has to get as good as the master to forge from it.

    • To forge her 'warrior' personality, Shai had to go train with the actual warriors, at least for a while. But obviously she wouldn't need to get as good as when she's imprinting herself, otherwise she wouldn't even need that imprinting.

    It's said that the effectiveness of forgery lies in the feasibility of changing its history. Does that mean that all she has to do is learn enough to make it feasible for her to extended that training over a much longer period?

    As for the painting, does it mean that she didn't really need to train in painting skills, she just needed to make it feasible that the particular piece of canvas or whatever would have been painted on by the artist instead of the original canvas? Or does she need some skills to produce something a bit closer to the original so that the change is more feasible?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, you are thinking along the right lines. The more feasible it is for something to work, the easier it is to Forge that thing. This is similar to what happens with the Breaths in Warbreaker. The closer you can make something to seeming alive, the less Breath it takes.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13979 Copy

    shoeties

    Since Stormlight and Breath are both investiture, would it be possible to use Nightblood with the former rather than the latter? Would it be possible to store Stormlight in metal using Feruchemy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mixing the magics is possible, but some are easier and more natural than other. Feeding Stormlight to Nightblood is easy. Storing stormlight in metal is tough.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13980 Copy

    drabgod

    Without necessarily naming the particular Shardworld, could you describe what the Cognitive Realm looks like in a Shardworld other than Roshar? Again, you don't have to say which one in particular, and it could even be a Shardworld we haven't seen before.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Hmm... There is a place where it's an empty wasteland of near-nothingness.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13981 Copy

    VindicationKnight

    If you were to use Forgery for brainwashing, say turning a criminal into a law abiding citizen (not practical but hey it is a what if) would they not remember who they had been? Or would they just not care?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Depends on the extent of the Forgery. If you reforge someone so their body and soul think they got amnesia, then had a certain set of experiences (very hard to do) then no, they wouldn't remember. Most often, it doesn't work this way, and you simply add memories you don't really have.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13982 Copy

    VindicationKnight

    I know Invested objects and people are harder to effect with magic, but does that also apply to indirect magic, like using Aon Daa to strike someone in Shardplate?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It all depends on how the magics are trying to interact. In the case you mention, there would be little interference.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13983 Copy

    VindicationKnight

    Do you mind telling us what the average number of Knights for a Knight Radiant Order were (barring Bondmiths) and possibly how close the different orders worked together?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It varied very widely, and depended on many factors. At their highest, some orders had members in the low thousands.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13986 Copy

    TurtletheFlsh

    So we know both Cultivation and Honor have Shardpools on Roshar and we also know that Odium is around somewhere on Roshar, does this mean he also has a Shardpool somewhere on Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Shardpools, as they are called, are a natural effect of a Shard spending a lot of time on a world.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13987 Copy

    keleks_breath

    1) In their place of torture, are the Heralds able to communicate with each other or with other people/spren outside of that place? E.g. how is Ishar able to maintain his threat of severing the Nahel bond if he is being tortured for hundreds of years? 2)When the Heralds return to Roshar, do they appear like Schwarzenegger in Terminator (nude) or do they appear with the clothing they wore when they signed up for the Oathpact? 3)Are the Honorblades involved in the torture of the Heralds? Again, thank you for taking the time to interact with us fans and readers.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I have to RAFO questions along the lines of what you're asking. These are things that are relevant to books 6-10, which probably won't even be written for a decade. Talking about them too much now would be counter-productive, I feel. Sorry. :(

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13992 Copy

    stormlightfan70

    We know it has been stated that adonalsium could have been shattered into 16 different intents. We also know there is a force out there opposing adanalsium. Did it shatter into those 16 intents because it believed that was the best way to defend against this said force?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13996 Copy

    drabgod

    In Words of Radiance we find that Pattern is very literal-minded (at least until Shallan corrupted him), and mathematically-inclined. Even his real name is just a mathematical construct. And his head is a fractal. When I think of Pattern, I think "logic" and "truth", not "art" and "lies".

    If all Cryptics are like this, then I wonder why they (and not artistic spren like Wyndle) are the ones attracted to the artistic Lightweavers. Is this just a matter of "opposites attract"? Are spren naturally drawn to people with personal qualities they themselves do not have? I am reminded of the Divine Attributes, and it seems like Shallan has the "Creative" side while Pattern has the "Honest" side. Is that a coincidence?

    Brandon Sanderson

    These things are not coincidences.

    I have some very interesting rationals why certain spren are involved with certain orders. I never wanted it to be so straightforward as, "Oh, you control pressure? Here's a spren dedicated to that power." I feel there is more intricacy, and honesty, to a system that isn't so "on the nose" as we say in writing.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13997 Copy

    Phantine

    So you said how stuff is stuffed into the soul changes what a bond can give. Is that like the difference between a Spren bonding a Person and and maybe Hemalurgy forcing a bond or is it more like the difference with how Parshendi form bonds with Spren?

    I guess a better way to say that is would the bond be different if a human created the bond with a Spren not a Spren Bonding with a human?

    Brandon Sanderson

    These things are all important parts of the system, and I'm curious to see where fans go in exploring the possibilities and theories related to it.

    ...

    RAFO

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #13999 Copy

    Thadamin

    How important are bonds like the Nahel Bond and a seon bond in the Cosmere?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'd say very important.

    Thadamin

    Is this kind of bond relatively common or is what seons, spren, and Nightblood do little more rare among Splinters. I'm specifically talking about the act of making bonds not a giving of magic powers really, that appearing to be function of Roshar. Also regarding your post about Stormlight 3 I am personally okay with 2000 pages if need be so make the chapters as long as you want.:)

    Brandon Sanderson

    The bonding is basically the same mechanic, regardless of the world, just with different flavoring. Roshar isn't the only place where the bond gives powers; it's a matter of what's stuffed into the soul, and how.

    /r/books AMA 2015 ()
    #14000 Copy

    vorpal_username

    I've been rereading alloy of law and I was wondering about a few things related to speed bubbles.

    1. Speed bubbles can't move once they're put up, but what happens if you put one up while you're in a moving train or something? Does it move with the train? What if the train stops/turns while the bubble is up? (This might have happened and I'm forgetting in which case just ignore me...)

    2. Can an allomancer leave their bubble while it is still up (meaning it stays up with them outside of it)?

    3. What happens to things and or people partially inside of the bubble? Like, if I swing a pole through the time bubble, do I feel extra resistance or acceleration on it? If I stick my hand through it does it get all messed up like in that episode of TNG(S6E25)?

    4. Is the magnitude effect that causes bullets to go off course when entering a speed bubble proportional to the slowing/speeding of time in the bubble? For example, could I put up a very slight speed bubble (gaining me an extra second every few minutes) and get the same deflection as the ones used by Wane in the books?

    5. If you change your weight with feruchemy, is momentum conserved? For example, if I am moving while I decrease my weight, do I start going faster?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You'd be surprised by how many of these questions I answer in the next two Mistborn books. I think I might have addressed every one except number four. (In that case, the deflection is indeed proportional.) This is a RAFO, but more a "I took all this time to explain it in the text, so let's let you read it there." :)