What do you think are the 5 most powerful characters in the book (dead or alive)?
What do you think are the 5 most powerful characters in the book (dead or alive)?
“Power” is so relative.
Strength in the One Power, based on how much one could draw, is well established in the literature.
Ability to weave multiple flows, or weave in novel, quick or creative ways is also established and considered as important as raw strength. For example, Lanfear could not match Ishamael in brute force, but they were considered equal in strength sometimes in the books.
Strength in Tel’aran’rhiod is irrelevant of strength in channelling. Bair could entirely outclass Nynaeve despite having no ability to channel at all, whilst Nynaeve is able to channel more of the One Power than most other characters.
If looking outside of the “magic”, the Ta’Veren and the people who influence them should also be considered.
Perrin’s charisma (with his wife’s help), Demandred, Messana, Rhavin and Sammael politically. Min as a philosopher… Aludra invented artillery, and with Mat, crossbows and modern warfare.
At a really basic level, I think you’d have to look at “who has to be in the story for it to end the way it does”
And then I think we would have to quote the authors and say “it was about them all.”
Honestly I think at least in terms of pure potential Androl and Pavara could beat any other channeler. If they had access to a Sa'Angreal and was in a full circle like Demandred had he could just open a gate way to the bottom of the sea they could have realistically held Tarwin's Gap for as long as needed. This is all assuming they'd be able to both control flows as they had before. She could defend any shields while he flooded the enemy with running water.
What do you think?