Gateway size and strength in the Power are not directly related ... as proven by our friend Androl/Pageboy
ToM
Something Wrong
He focused. Making gateways came so much easier to him than other weaves did; he'd never understood why. Though he couldn't break even a small rock apart by channeling, he could make a gateway large enough for a wagon to drive through. Logain had called it impressive; Taim had called it impossible.
Just like Siuan's healing abilities remained the same despite her weakening. Talent trumps strength in the OP.
ToM
Something Wrong
He focused. Making gateways came so much easier to him than other weaves did; he'd never understood why. Though he couldn't break even a small rock apart by channeling, he could make a gateway large enough for a wagon to drive through. Logain had called it impressive; Taim had called it impossible.
Just like Siuan's healing abilities remained the same despite her weakening. Talent trumps strength in the OP.
The making of gateways, like shields, is directly related to strength in the power. There's abundant proof of that. But like every weave, it's also a matter of skills.
And just like shields, an individual can break all the rules if he or she has exceptional skills (a talent) with those weaves. The worst you are at making a weave, the more power you need. Androl can make gateways with far less saidin than most people, that's all.
It's almost a constant with the OP: for many weaves, lack of dexterity or skills/talent can be compensated by using more Power, if you're at least able to make the weave (if you don't have enough ability to handle a required flow etc, you're screwed even with an angreal). It's the same concept behind the equality of men and women. The average woman needs to use less saidar than the average man needs to use saidin to achieve the same result, because on average a woman's weaves are more "energy efficient". This increased efficiency comes from their average greater dexterity at weaving.
So the size of gateways is directly related to your raw strength. It's just also related to your skills with the weave or the abilties behind the weave. It's not one or the other, it's both. It just seems like the skills of channellers with Gateways don't vary massively. The majority of the channellers are average with the weave, and the difference between their gateway sizes rest mostly on their strength.
I was being a bit flip as I've made the argument above about 2 million times on here when arguing that Gateway size is not 100% reliant on strength. Here we have a man who is far too weak to be able to make any gateway, much less ones larger than most other men can make! Grady and Neald could only manage gateways large enough to fit carts and they are at least moderately strong.
Talents enhance the ability in people ... thus someone with a very strong Talent for Gateways can make a much larger gateway than their baseline strength would allow for (i.e. Androl can't break a rock, but can make a huge Gateway).
I think what you are calling "skill" I'm calling Talent ... mostly because Traveling is considered a "Talent". Shielding may not be a true Talent, and may have to do with Berowyn simply being very skilled with the weave.
My point here is that Androl is proof that the Gateway size woven by an individual is not something we can use to measure strength with as it's clear that a much weaker individual can make a disproportionately large gateway if they have the Talent strongly.
Domani Drag Queen in the White Tower ... Aran'gar watch out!
I was right on something ... very minor spoiler
13/11/2010 04:59:36 PM
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Yes but no...
13/11/2010 05:22:47 PM
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Yes that's what I believe for the most part
13/11/2010 05:45:49 PM
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Buuuut...
14/11/2010 03:05:06 AM
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The point is that his gateway would still be much larger than whatever level of strength he has
16/11/2010 05:02:12 AM
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I agree. We see this with Healing all the time. Talent provides an impressive multiplier.
15/11/2010 03:36:54 PM
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yeah, but apparently Androl can control the size of his. it's not just a matter of him being ...
14/11/2010 10:21:56 PM
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