Metallic Arts

The three Metallic Arts are Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy. They are the three prime manifestations of Investiture on Scadrial. All three utilize specific metals to have specific abilities (namely, metal is not the source of their power, but metal is their focus). There are eight basic metals, each with an alloy, for a total of sixteen metals. In addition, there are are further two pure God Metals, and one known alloy of these.

The Metallic Arts can be analyzed in terms of the Scadrian Shards, Ruin and Preservation. Allomancy is of Preservation and is End-Positive. Instead of Allomancy drawing power from the user, metal acts as a catalyst, and draws power from Preservation itself. Hemalurgy is of Ruin, and is End-Negative. By taking abilities from one person and giving them to another--in reduced amounts--power is actually lost. Finally, Feruchemy is the power of balance, and is both of Ruin and Preservation. It is End-Neutral, as there is neither a gain or loss in energy, simply storing the power for later use.

All people on Scadrial have seeds of the Metallic Arts within them. However, for most of the history of Scadrial, only Feruchemy was known, and that had always been isolated to the Terris people. Allomancy existed but was very uncommon. It only came about through a mechanism constructed by Preservation, which Snapped people who had Allomantic power too deep-seated to come out naturally. Hemalurgy was even more rare, as it required extensive knowledge not easily obtained.

Then, the Lord Ruler reached the Well of Ascension. He rebuilt himself into an extremely powerful mistborn using its power . He then took nine beads of lerasium from there, giving them to kings he wished to bribe to his side. This brought about the first Mistborn, and the concentrated Preservation inside the lerasium was so potent, that Allomantic ability was passed down for over a millennia (though eventually, the power got diluted so the Mistings began to form, and Mistborn became more uncommon). During the Ascension, the Lord Ruler also gained an understanding of Hemalurgy, and understood how to create Inquisitors, koloss, and kandra.

Later, after Harmony's Final Ascension, Mistborn became unheard of as Allomancy's power continued to degrade. The Terris people also interbred with the survivors of the Final Empire, which combined with the slaughter of all living Feruchemists at the time left Feruchemy also diluted, and so Ferrings began to appear.

Metals and their abilities

Basic Metals
Metal	Allomantic properties	Feruchemical properties	Hemalurgic properties
Iron	Pulls metal	Stores weight	Steals strength
Steel	Pushes metal	Stores speed	Steals Physical Allomancy
Tin	Improves senses	Stores improved senses	Steals senses
Pewter	Improves strength	Stores strength	Steals Physical Feruchemy
Zinc	Riots emotion	Stores mental speed	Steals emotional fortitude
Brass	Soothes emotion	Stores warmth	Steals Cognitive Feruchemy
Copper	Hides Allomancy	Stores memories	Steals intelligence and memory
Bronze	Can sense Allomancy	Stores wakefulness	Steals Mental Allomancy

Higher Metals
Metal	Allomantic properties	Feruchemical properties	Hemalurgic properties
Cadmium	Stretches/slows time	Stores breath	unknown
Bendalloy	Compresses/hastens time	Stores energy	unknown
Gold	Shows the burner's past	Stores health	Steals Physical Feruchemy
Electrum	Shows the burner's future	Stores determination	unknown
Chromium	Removes another's metals	Stores fortune	unknown
Nicrosil	Flares another's metals	Stores investiture	unknown
Aluminum	Removes one's metals	Stores identity	Steals Enhancement Allomancy
Duralumin	Flares one's metals	Stores connection	Steals Spiritual Feruchemy

The God Metals

The God metals are metals formed directly from either of the two Shards, Ruin and Preservation. They can be alloyed with the lesser metals to form sixteen different metals each, though only one is known.

'God' Metals
Metal	Allomantic properties	Feruchemical properties	Hemalurgic properties
Atium	See into other people's futures	Stores age	Steals Any Power or Attribute and does so better than any other spike
Lerasium	Causes the burner to become a Mistborn/Increases allomantic power	unknown	unknown

Atium alloys
Metal	Allomantic properties	Feruchemical properties	Hemalurgic properties
Malatium	See into other people's pasts	unknown	unknown

Notes

Footnotes

References