Difference between revisions of "Allomancy"

Once an Allomancer has Snapped, they will feel a reserve of power in their stomach when they have ingested a metal they can burn. The metals are usually ingested by drinking specifically prepared metal vials, which contain metal flakes suspended in an alcohol solution or other such liquid i.e. cod oil. It is completely instinctual for an Allomancer to activate and burn their metal and gain its ability; it does not require training to do it (however, there is much training in using their metals properly). It is so instinctual that in some circumstances, an Allomancer can even burn metals while unconscious.{{citebook ref|mb1|15}} An Allomancer can also burn their metals at an accelerated rate, which is called "flaring." Flaring grants more power, but the reserve of metals depletes much faster, too.{{book ref|mb1|7}}

Allomancers who flare their metal intensely for extended periods of time may be physiologically altered by the constant influx of Allomantic power. These people are known as Allomantic '''[[savant]]s'''.{{epigraph ref|mb3|16}} These people experience heightened ability with, and heightened dependence upon, whatever metal they are burning in such a manner. Under most circumstances, this was considered irreversibly damaging.

After the [[Final Empire]], Terris and nobles began to interbreed, so it became possible for their descendants to have one Allomantic ability and one [[Feruchemy|Feruchemical]] ability. People with such powers were called '''[[Twinborn]]'''. Like Mistings, Twinborn were each given a name depending on their specific combination of abilities.{{book ref|mb4|1}} The interaction between the two abilities creates a new, secondary effect, known as a [[Resonance]].{{book ref|mb5|part=ars}}

There are also three "God Metals" known to Scadrians [[lerasium]], [[atium]], and [[ettmetal]], with others from other planets[[Shardworld]]s, which do not fit in the modern Table of Allomantic Metals. Atium was famously classified as a temporal metal during the [[Final Empire]] era by the [[Steel Ministry]], but this was shown to be flawed. The God Metals are essences of the [[Shard]]s that have taken up residence on Scadrial, [[Preservation]] and [[Ruin]], and later [[Harmony]]. Alloys of God Metals can lead to additional abilities.{{book ref|mb4|part=ars}}

Allomancy is an End-Positive{{book ref|mb4|part=ars}} magic system--meaning energy is gained in the process of its use.{{book ref|mb4|part=ars}} It is of the [[Shard]] [[Preservation]].{{epigraph ref|mb3|32}} Energy does not come from one's own body, as happens in [[Feruchemy]], but from Preservation himself.

Metal is not the source of Allomancy's power.{{annotation ref|mb3|chapter=38}} Rather, metal is what is called a [[focus]]--a necessary component to a manifestation of [[Investiture]] (magic system), but not the source of the power itself. When an Allomancer burns a metal, that metal's specific molecular structure acts as a conduit to Preservation, and then the Allomancer is granted an ability corresponding to the metal, hence the metal "focuses" Preservation's power to the user. Each metal is the only way a mortal can access Preservation and the power of creation's power.{{wob ref|6072}} Afterwards, the metal is vaporized.{{wob ref|10097}} This is only true for the base sixteen Allomantic metals. The god metals (lerasium, atium, their alloys and other shardShard's metal) are actually Investiture condensed into a solid form. Burning atium draws power from Ruin, not Preservation.{{epigraph ref|mb3|78}}

Allomancy--as well as Feruchemy--has the property that abilities are inherent to the user, and are hardcodedhard-coded into their Spiritweb.{{book ref|mb4|part=ars}} While other Investitures can take years of practice{{disputed}}, a new Allomancer's blunt power is already at its max extent the moment they acquire the correct metals. This comes with the tradeofftrade-off that having the trait of Allomancy is something one is born with; a non-Allomancer cannot become an Allomancer (except in the very particular case of burning [[lerasium]], which overwrites one's Spiritual DNA to have the connection to Preservation required to use Allomancy.{{wob ref|10116}}).

However, Preservation could still alter Allomancy in certain ways. He changed the rules of Allomancy twice: the first time, he changed the Table of Allomantic Metals to have atium and malatium as external temporal metals, exchanging them with cadmium and bendalloy.{{citewob ref|5971}} This may have had the effect of allowing for the existence of atium Mistings. Ultimately, this was part of Preservation's plan to defeat Ruin: to have atium Mistings that could burn away Ruin's body of atium, allowing someone else, who was not influenced as much by the intent of Preservation, to take up its power and destroy Ruin.{{wob ref|8063}}

After the original trilogy and Brandon's reveal that atium and malatium did not belong on the true Table of Allomantic Metals, Brandon chose the true external temporal metal to be cadmium, as it was particularly dangerous and hard to acquire, so it made sense that only Scadrians with the technology after the Final Ascension could discover it.{{citewob ref|4883}} Brandon originally had cadmium's alloy named cerrobend, but that name happened to be copyrighted, so Brandon was forced to change it to the generic word, bendalloy. The error was present on an early version of the Table of Allomantic Metals.