Barlow's Guide to Superhumans

***Barlow's Guide to Superhumans*** is a famous publication, updated annually and listing all known superhumans, their powers, and brief biographies. It is known to have established both the Power-Type categories and the Power Scale. It is, however, neither an official nor scientific publication.

For this wiki's list of known superhumans, see Barlow's List of Superhumans.

## Power-Type Categories

"Breakthrough powers come in all shapes and sizes, although most tend to conform to "types" made popular by media exposure or societal beliefs, and they range from trivial or close to human ability to amazing. Though this is an inexact science, it provides a helpful way of quickly assessing the type of superpowers a given individual may possess. The naming conventions vary, but powers are typically named after either the first breakthrough witnessed exhibiting them or a classic, established category.

### Atlas-Type

"Atlas-Types aren't quite as strong as Ajax-Types. We make up for it with speed and mobility. In almost any fight the best tactic is to move and keep moving; they can't hurt what they can't hit. That's the speedster's tactic too, they just move a lot faster." - Calvin Trevor, US MArshal Training Officer

### Kinetic-Types

Sub-types include:

* Aerokinetics
* Cryokinetics (listed as uncommon)
* Electrokinetics (listed as common)
* Hydrokinetics
* Neuralkinetics (listed as rare)
* Pyrokinetics
* Telekinetics

### Verne-Type

*"Verne-Types are breakthroughs who we'd call "mad scientists" in pre-Event fiction.They discover scientific "breakthroughs" that allow them to advance cutting-edge technology into the realms of super-science -- but only for them. Their creations have sometimes been called "techno-magic" because they work according to principles that don't exist beyond the Verne-Type's lab. Labels like quantum, nano, virtual, and sub-[fill in the blank] are often invoked but Clark's Law definitely applies; any sufficiently dvanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Barlow's Guide to Superhumans*

## Power Scale

Similarly to the Power-Types, the Power Scale is not perfect, but is a useful tool in establishing the threat level of a superhuman and their general power level compared to other superhumans.

### D Class

The lowest class, these superhumans have powers that are "trivial or close to human ability"

### Omega Class

"Omega Class: definition; beyond Ultra Class. Omega Class breakthroughs shatter the accepted scale of powers. Omega Class breakthroughs are ultimate manifestations of their powers, beyond the power of D, C, B, A, and even Ultra Class breakthroughs to effectively oppose. Omega Class breakthroughs are so rare that encounters with them are largely anecdotal, and most Omega Class breakthroughs appear to no longer be human."

## Barlow's Guide Entries

### Wearing the Cape, Chapter One

*Cape (*plural *capes): literally, a sleeveless garment hanging from the neck over the back and shoulders; figuratively, a superhuman who has chosen to act as a superhero. Synonyms: hero, mask, super, superhero. Connotations: 'cape' is used as both a familiar and derogatory term for superheroes, who often casually refer to themselves as capes but generally consider it a demeaning term when applied to them by the press.*

### Wearing the Cape, Chapter Five

*A breakthrough is an unpredictable survival mechanism, and the degree of empowerment it provides varies widely. Sometimes it's just enough to deal with the situation, other times far beyond that. For example, accidental electrocution kills and injures hundreds if not thousands of people every yeat, so elctrokinetic breakthroughs are relatively common. But a breakthrough could simple make you immune to electrical shock, or give you taser-like abilities. Or, as it did for Volt, it could give you the power to drain electrical systems, generate electromagnetic pulses, fly by electrostatic levitation, and throw ball lightning.*

### Wearing the Cape, Chapter Nineteen

*Kinetics make up one of the largest superhuman categories, with many sub-categories. Each kinetic type controls, shapes, or even creates a single sunstance or force. There are, for example, the elemental kinetics: aerokinetics, hydrokinetics, pyrokinetics, and terrakinetics, who can manipulate air, water, fire, and earth. Electrokinetics are more common, cryokinetics less so. Telekinetics can move anything with their mind they could otherwise manipulate manually.*

### Villains, Inc., Chapter Fourteen

*Supernatural (*plural*: supernaturals): literally, a phenomena departing from what is usual or normal, especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature. Modern connotation: a breakthrough patterned after elements of myth, folklore, and fantasy rather than fitting the superhero mold. Documented supernaturals include vampires, witches, fairies, ghosts, angels, devils, etc. It is often difficult to determine which supernaturals are breakthroughs and which are the projections of unknown breakthroughs.*

### Villains, Inc. Chapter Twenty

*Physical shapeshifting is almost always a solitary power.*

### Young Sentinels, Chapter Twenty

*Although superheroes are popularly portrayed in the media as crime-fighters and even vigilantes, they are more often engaged in rescue work. For example, the charters used by Crisis Aid and Intervention teams (CAIs) list their mission as 1.) Civilian rescue, 2.) Disaster prevention/mitigation, and, 3.) Superhuman containment and safety. Note that none of these three missions covers non-superhuman law enforcement.*

### Ronin Games, Introduction

*Historically, a masterless samurai (lit., a wave-man). Outside the political power-structure, ronin lived as mercenaries and bodyguards, or as outlaws and robbers when work could not be found. In Post-Event Japan "ronin" is slang for Active Non-Government Powers (ANGPs), freelance superhumans, criminal or otherwise, who use their powers without government sanction.*

*In the West, breakthrough types tend to follow the "superhero" template, with an admixture of science-fiction, supernatural, and religious influences. All of these types also appear in the East, but with the influences reversed; more Eastern breakthroughs are influenced by mythology, religion, and even martial-arts movies than are influenced by superhero and science-fiction stories.*

### Ronin Games, Chapter Twenty

*Omega Class: definition; beyond Ultra Class. Omega Class breakthroughs shatter the accepted scale of powers. Omega Class breakthroughs are ultimate manifestations of their powers, beyond the power of D, C, B, A, and even Ultra Class breakthroughs to effectively oppose. Omega Class breakthroughs are so rare that encounters with them are largely anecdotal, and most Omega Class breakthroughs appear to no longer be human.*

### Recursion, Chapter 5

*Not all states use the CAI (Crisis Aid and Intervention) mosel -- teams of certified, government-paid superheroes hired as independent contractors -- and some states or cities use CAIs on one level but not another. New York State allows local CAI teams, but New York City does not; it depends on SPAT (Super Powers and Tactics) squads, uniformed superhuman police officers. Texas has its local CAI city teams, but supports the towns and counties too small to host local teams with the uniformed White Hats of its Superhuman Response Division. The White Hats also provide support when local teams find themselves up against more than they can handle alone. Needless to say, disputes over jurisdictions make relations between locals and White Hats interesting.*

### Recursion, Chapter 13

*A Merlin-Type breakthrough is any breakthrough whose power appears to come from belief in some kind of magical tradition. This includes historic traditions like Voodoo, Wicca, Hermeticism, and Kabbalism, as well as modern syncretic systems and purely "fictional" systems of magic such as Rowling and Vancian magic. With breakthrough powers behind them, all are euqally valid.*

### Recursion, Chapter Fourteen

*Verne-Types are breakthroughs who we'd call "mad scientists" in pre-Event fiction.They discover scientific "breakthroughs" that allow them to advance cutting-edge technology into the realms of super-science -- but only for them. Their creations have sometimes been called "techno-magic" because they work according to principles that don't exist beyond the Verne-Type's lab. Labels like quantum, nano, virtual, and sub-[fill in the blank] are often invoked but Clark's Law definitely applies; any sufficiently dvanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.*

### Repercussions, Chapter Two

*Crisis Aid and Intervention (CAI) personnel are trained primarily to respond to incidents involving superhuman powers. This training typically involves conflict intervention, combat, first-aid, and law-enforcement training, although CAI 'capes' are neither soldiers nor (usually) law-enforcement officers. All states require CAI training and certification, or something imilar, as a prerequisite for professional superhuman first responders.*

### Repercussions, Chapter Twenty-One

*Telekinetics (TKs) move themselves by will alone, which means orientation has no effect on anything but air resistance. Atlas-Type flight is very different. They appear to generate thrust, like a rocket, by ejecting virtual reaction mass. The 'reaction mass' exists only conceptually and its only effect on the physical world is the counterbalancing thrust it produces in the Atlas-Type. They generate thrust most strongly along the direction of their body's central axis, and the easiest way to understand their flight dynamics is to imagine them wearing invisible boot-jets. They fly by balancing on their feet atop the vector of thrust, leaning almost horizontal at high speeds to balance against air resistance and gravity.*

## References

1. ↑ Recursion glossary
Recursion chapter fourteen.