Feruchemy and impure metals?

[Leonerd]

This came up with my group when I explained the dangers of burning impure metals. We have a feruchemist in the group and the others were wondering if he could check potentially dangerous metal sources - for example, if the group found a steel bar and wanted to know if it was allomantic steel. The question was, what would happen if a feruchemist tried to store and tap an impure metalmind.

Since feruchemists don't ingest their metalminds, I don't think it they would have to worry about the poisonous side effects. I'd assume it just makes their storing less effective, like only half the charges stored can actually be tapped again. Depending on the type of metalmind, the additional benefits for tapping more charges could also be less.

Any thoughts on that?

[spinningdice]

I'd personally go with the stored ability being corrupted. So for most of them say it takes twice the effort to store the same amount. Storing memories could lead to all sorts of fun with fragments stored.

[Leonerd]

That sounds good. The memories could just be more hazy depending on how impure the metal is, or in extreme cases completely wrong.

[tecslicer]

Whereas I do like the storybuilding options of treating impure metals this way, I don't think it really follows the "Feruchemy is of Balance" way of thinking. Feruchemy is not supposed to have any loss like hemalurgy.
Rather I would tend to believe that an impure metal would not be able to hold as many charges as a pure metal would. I.E. a large bar of crummy brass only holds 2 or 3 charges. the same as say a small bead of pure brass.

[ReaderAt2046]

Whereas I do like the storybuilding options of treating impure metals this way, I don't think it really follows the "Feruchemy is of Balance" way of thinking. Feruchemy is not supposed to have any loss like hemalurgy.
Rather I would tend to believe that an impure metal would not be able to hold as many charges as a pure metal would. I.E. a large bar of crummy brass only holds 2 or 3 charges. the same as say a small bead of pure brass.

Agreed. If the metal is off-peak but usable, you can store maybe 1/10 the usual charges, or maybe your Feruchemy score is decreased with respect to that metal (so you can't store or tap as fast.) If it's really impure, it doesn't work at all.