Power Classifications

## **Powers**

Within Lellorium and in the world at large, around one in a thousand individuals is either born with or develops a superhuman power during their lifetime. People with such powers are called **metahumans**, and are both feared and revered by the population at large.

Powers can emerge in a huge variety of forms. There are a few common types (such as enhanced strength and flight), but in general they're too diverse to fully classify, leading most organizations to use a system of **Basic Types** that orders them based on their general usage and threat level. A group of **Special Cases** are also under study due to their multifaceted yet oddly consistent nature. Researchers believe that powers may have some kind of genetic basis, especially given how **Precursor** lineages often display unique superhuman traits, but as of yet there is no surefire way to tell if someone will be born with or awaken a metahuman ability.

There are two ways a person can gain powers: they can either be **born with their ability** (these cases are called Inherent Powers), or they can **awaken their ability** in a moment of **extreme stress** (these are called Triggered Powers). The nature of a Triggered Power is often related to the trauma that awakened it, while Inherent Powers seem to be associated with the user's overall personality. The **Noxtis Effect** applies to nearly all known powers, and helps protect metahumans from the dangers of their own abilities.

Animals and other non-human organisms do not seem to be capable of developing powers. For more information on how metahuman abilities came about, see the History page.

## **Basic Types**

Powers can take on a huge variety of forms, from basic super strength to water manipulation to interdimensional portals that spawn swarms of tentacled horrors. Trying to classify these abilities based on their underlying mechanisms is an impossible task, and organizations like the IPTO instead focus on the kind of threat each power poses, so they can come up with strategies to defeat them if necessary.

The basic classification system is used worldwide, and divides abilities into nine distinct categories:

Bruiser: a power that works best in close-range combat

Sniper: a power used for accurate long-range attacks

Prowler: a power used for rapid movement or maneuvering

Shaker: a power that attacks or affects a large area at once

Trickster: a power that alters perceptions or helps its user pass unnoticed

Amplifier: a power that assists the user's allies and improves their effectiveness

Monarch: a power that summons and/or controls a group of minions

Mastermind: a power that works outside of combat to help gather information and resources

Wildcard: an unpredictable power that changes or fluctuates over time

When a new metahuman is identified, the IPTO assigns them one or more of these classes based on their powers, along with number ratings from 1-10 based on their estimated threat level. A rating of 1 indicates a power that's barely dangerous at all, while a rating of 10 is a major security risk that requires further observation.

## **Special Cases**

Now and then, a type of power will crop up repeatedly among metahumans, with unique and complex functions that require classification of their own. These abilities can be extremely strong, but cannot overlap with secondary powers beyond their specific rulesets, and also share unique weaknesses and limitations that other powers don't have to deal with.

The IPTO has made note of these Special Cases, and names each of them as follows:

Absorbers: materialistic powerhouses that absorb an assigned element to power their main-line abilities and bolster either their physical prowess or presence in combat.

Elementals: mystical glass cannons that freely generate and manipulate an assigned element, using an assortment of additional main-line abilities that all count towards an in-built limiter.

Breakers: otherworldly beings with bizarre bodies and powers that trade places with a host individual in our reality, allowing them to bring their alien capabilities into our realm for a limited time.

Channelers: object-centric generalists that summon a bonded object to use its abilities and additional main-line abilities they gain as the wielder.

Shapers: patient tinkerers that spend time and resources to create superpowered objects, creatures, or technology.

Psions: aberrant metahumans with warped abilities powered by their souls alone. The incidents they’re born from mark their minds and skew their psychology towards apathy or empathy, granting them the necessary abilities to embrace the living or the dead.

Special Cases are noted in a metahuman's file along with their normal classifications, but are not given specific number ratings. The IPTO has shown special interest in them, however, believing that some or all of these types may offer the key to unlocking the secrets of metahuman abilities.