Hello Mr. Sanderson, given that I can’t go to signings this is actually pretty exciting. Anyway, on to the questions.
Concerning the terminology for Epics, the definitions given for High Epics and a prime Invincibility are effectively the same, meaning every High Epic should have one. However, in Steelheart David says that only a couple of the hundredths of High Epics in Newcago have one. Did David change his terminology between books or is there another reason. (I would also appreciate definitions for what differentiates a minor from a lesser Epic.)
While Epics already age slower can their powers protect them from aging completely, be it by simply negating it or for example returning them to a specific age, upon resurrection.
What exactly is needed to make a motivator? In Firefight they operated on Obliteration to build the bomb, yet people still trade with any amount of Epic cells. Does the amount simply relate to power or is there something else?
Why doesn’t Nighwielder’s weakness penetrate his blanket over Newcago when it does pierce the shadow tendrils he attacks David with? Could the reason be that his clouds act as some kind of “security blanket” if for example he got his weakness from being stranded in the dessert clouds like his would have protected him from the sun, which keeps the UV-rays of the sun from triggering his weakness, because they can’t recreate the situation it originates from.
Prime invincibility is the cream of the crop of High Epic, in David’s estimation. The hardest of the hard to kill. However, other people define things differently. “High epic” means “I have a power that, if you stand there and try to shoot me, it doesn’t work.” That’s why in his definition, Regalia doesn’t fit the bill–though many others would say her power of keeping herself hidden as she does would totally count. All a matter of semantics, but to him, there’s a specific gradation.
There are no known epics who don’t age at all.
This is covered in detail in book three. I’ve been pretty sneaky about some of this stup, on purpose.
I’ve been dodgy about answering this one, as I thought I might get into it in Book Three, but as I work on it I don’t know that I am. The answer is actually pretty simple–it’s for the same reason that someone manifesting Regalia’s weakness in Babilar doesn’t make the waters suddenly retreat. Or that Steelheart’s powers didn’t leave pockets of open material around anybody who hadn’t ever heard of him. (Which is where this exception started in my mind, as without it, the first book would never have worked.)
Basically, I had to make the rule that a large scale, general use of the powers had a kind of immunity to the weakness–one of diffusion. But the general spreading of the powers on the large scale were also far less precise. (For example, Nightwielder could cloud the sky with darkness, but not stop rain from falling.)
Otherwise, you could just find the pockets where the Epic’s powers on the grand scale were not working, and easily figure out their weakness. Hence, engaging Nightwielder directly ruins his immediate powers, but on the grand scale the darkness remains in place over the city.
It’s the only way I could make the powers work on the grand scale I wanted, in turning Newcago to Steel or sinking NYC.
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