Psyker - The Assignment: One system employed by the Imperium to quantify the power of psykers, called "The Assignment," uses different grades to incrementally rank psionic activity and the power level  of a psyker. Comprised of a twenty-four point scale based on the ancient Greek alphabet, The Assignment simplifies the comparison of psykers to aid Imperial authorities like the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, the Sisters of Silence and the Inquisition in recognising possible threats.Psykers exist within many of the intelligent species of the galaxy. Human psykers, Craftworld Aeldari Warlocks and Seers, as well as Ork Weirdboyz, are all psykers of this type. Beings such as the Chaos Daemons of the Warp are actually composed of pure psychic energy. There are also some species like the T'au, who are completely devoid of psykers or the ability to touch the Warp directly and thus project psychic powers. There even exists beings who could be called "anti-psykers," including Human Blanks and Necron Pariahs.Due to their existence within many of the military forces of the Imperium and their relative abundance among the Imperium's many enemies, the Adepta Astra Telepathica devised a way to classify all the psykers it might encounter, which over the centuries developed into The Assignment used in the 41st Millennium.The average member of Homo sapiens is judged to have a grade of Rho or Pi on The Assignment. These individuals cannot consciously or subconsciously draw power from the Immaterium and cannot become Daemonically possessed without being acted upon by an outside influence of the Warp. As the vast majority of Humanity still possesses no psychic ability, the average Imperial citizen poses little psychic security threat to their fellows.Nevertheless, rare individuals are born every day on Human worlds with Assignment ratings exceeding Pi. By Imperial edict, these men and women are to be discovered and brought to the attention of the Inquisition and the Adeptus Astra Telepathica to protect the rest of Humanity against the possible harm they might do, including going Renegade or becoming possessed. With the multitude of threats that assault the Imperium on a daily basis, however, it is only truly practical for the Inquisition to investigate those suspected of Iota level psychic power or greater.In the rarest of all cases, the twenty-four point scale of the Assignment does not adequately characterise a being of truly indescribable ability, such as the Emperor. Such individuals, for all intents and purposes, pass beyond the ability of the scale to quantify their abilities entirely. These subjects are classified as belonging to a "plus" or "reversed" scale, since the standard Assignment grading's naming convention is reversed.When uncontained, plus grade psykers represent an immediate and catastrophic threat to the Imperium. In theory, there is nothing that a trained plus psyker cannot accomplish through force of will; from snapping a Titan in half to summoning a legion of Greater Daemons. A rogue plus psyker represents a terrible danger to Humanity, and the Ordo Hereticus of the Inquisition considers them among the greatest threats they must face in protecting the Imperium from the threats within its own population. The souls of plus psykers are poetically said to burn akin to a supernova within the Empyrean, a blazing beacon for those Daemons that flock to such individuals in the hope of being able to breach their their defences and possess their unguarded but incredibly potent minds.Although rarely used, the precise terminology for a negative psyker or Blank carries a minus (-) symbol as a suffix. An "anti-psyker" of Omega grade is thus properly called an "Omega Minus" psyker.The Assignment's individual rankings are indicated below, ranked from the least powerful to most powerful, top to bottom. The numbers in brackets illustrate a relative order of the qualitative terms, with 0 denoting an individual who is psychically inert, such as the average Human in the Imperium or a member of a species like the T'au that lacks all psychic ability. Negative numbers indicate negative or "minus" psychic levels, and numbers with a plus indicate the "plus" grade of psykers so powerful they are essentially unable to be truly graded by the scale.Omega Minus (-7) - Omega Minus grade psykers are actually the "anti-psykers" usually referred to as "Untouchables" or "Blanks." These individuals are so inert in the Warp as to actually exhibit a negative psychic influence upon others. This primarily manifests in realspace as a region of "blankness" (hence the name) surrounding the individual where psychic powers will not work. It is impossible for psychic powers or entities native to the Immaterium to penetrate or affect this space. Imperial science has learned that the psychically inert region surrounding the Omega grade subject even interferes with natural bioelectric function in an organic brain. This neurological effect on others often results in the development of the irrational fear and loathing that baseline Humans nearly always display towards Blanks. This can even manifest in psychosomatic effects, such as thinking that the Blank emits a highly offensive odour. For psykers, however, the sheer presence of a Blank produces excruciating physical and mental distress.Psi (-6) - This grade of The Assignment, which actually includes Psi through Sigma grades inclusive, represents individuals who are oblivious to fluctuations in the Warp and are immune to psychic probing by a telepath. The range of this ability varies, with the highest class at Sigma grade being deemed "blunt" or resistant to some psychic effects, and the lowest grade of Psi being extremely resistant to the effects of psychic power, yet still capable of being affected by an extreme degree of psychic strength.Chi (-5) - See above.Phi (-4) - See above.Upsilon (-3) - See above.Tau (-2) - See above.Sigma (-1) - See above.Rho (0) - An individual at Rho grade is incapable of manifesting any psychic abilities, but can be fully affected by them or other manifestations of Warp energy. This is the grade that encompasses the vast majority of Humans in the Imperium and serves as the baseline grade of The Assignment.Pi (1) - Pi grade is the second of the two so-called "inert" psychic levels. Individuals ranked at Pi grade possess a minimal degree of psychic power that allows them to be sensitive to the fluctuations of the Immaterium. The manifestations of this ability are so insignificant that if they happen to be noticed they are quickly denounced as "good luck" or a pretension to a "sixth sense" on the part of the individual. These individuals are unlikely to be capable of being possessed by Warp entities.Omicron (2) - At this grade of The Assignment, which includes grades Omicron through Kappa inclusive, the individual displays an unconscious and minor level of psychic brain activity. These abilities produce no truly noticable effects on the individual or their surroundings and most psykers of this grade are unaware of their status unless put to a full examination by an expert skilled in discerning psychic ability, usually another psyker. Although psykers of these grades are still legally under the jurisdiction of the Inquisition and the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, it is logistically impossible to exam every individual who might meet this grade of The Assignment across the galaxy. As the danger such individuals represent to Humanity is minimal, psykers of this grade generally never even learn that they possess any abilities at all.Xi (3) - See above.Nu (4) - See above.Mu (5) - See above.Lambda (6) - See above.Kappa (7) - See above.Iota (8) - At grades Iota through Eta inclusive, the psyker begins to display various extrasensory powers and is fully aware of their abilities and how they can alter their environment using Warp energy. Psykers of these grades, however, are only able to control their abilities with some effort. All psykers of Iota grade and higher are considered true psykers by the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and upon discovery are immediately turned over by their world's planetary government as part of its tithe to the Inquisition and the League of Blackships for transport to Terra.Theta (9) - See above.Eta (10) - See above.Zeta (11) - Psykers of grades Zeta and Epsilon inclusive are powerful psykers who can manifest their abilities without significant effort and would represent a great danger to Humanity were they to be possessed by a Warp entity. However, should they possess the mental fortitude and undergo proper and rigorous training, they can become Sanctioned Psykers, Primaris Psykers or even Space Marine Librarians and thus provide good service to the Imperium.Epsilon (12) - See above.Delta (13) - Psykers of grades Delta through Alpha inclusive are extraordinarily powerful individuals, and such abilities manifest in only one out of every one billion Human births in the Imperium. Such psykers represent a primary threat to Humanity if they go rogue or become possessed, but if they possess the willpower and receive the training needed to control their abilities they can become psychically-gifted Inquisitors, Primaris Psykers or the greatest of Space Marine Librarians.Gamma (14) - See above.Beta (15) - See above.Alpha (16) - See above.Alpha Plus (17+) - Alpha Plus grade psykers represent the first of the "plus" scale psykers and are generally synonymous with that extraordinary level of psychic ability. They almost always display some level of neuroticism or even outright insanity as a result of their constant connection to the Warp. Should an Alpha Plus psyker go rogue or become possessed, they represent a threat that can destroy entire worlds or even star systems.Beta Plus (18+) - The Beta Plus grade is considered the greatest level of psyker power that a normal Human being can achieve and still retain any semblance of sanity, although such mental stability is usually rare and almost always rapidly degrades once this level of power fully manifests. Such individuals are almost always targeted for liquidation by the Inquisition once identified.Gamma Plus (19+) - Gamma Plus represents the greatest level of psychic power ever recorded being displayed by a "normal" Human. It is more widely achievable by some unspecified xenos species and Greater Daemons of Chaos, however even those entities are not known to exceed this grade in power.Delta Plus to Epsilon Plus (20+-21+) - The Delta Plus and Epsilon Plus grades are only theoretical levels of psychic power that exist within the scale but have never actually been measured by the Inquisition or the Adeptus Astra Telepathica.Zeta Plus (22+) - Zeta Plus grade is another solely theoretical grade of psychic power that is considered by the Adeptus Astra Telepathica to be the highest level of power organic neural tissue of any species could actually express without disintegrating.Eta Plus to Omega Plus (23+-40+) - At these only theoretical grades of psychic power, the Adeptus Astra Telepathica believes that advanced psychic technologies or other psychically-resonant structures or constructs would be needed to assist an organic brain in channelling such a flow of Warp energy and even to maintain their survival. Such power could alter reality on a galactic scale.The psychic power the top four grades represent is immense. Even a Delta level telepath can read the minds of all the people in a good-sized town simultaneously, or crush a man to death against a wall in solar seconds if they are also a telekine. High-grade psykers are extremely powerful, and not to be taken lightly. Beta Plus grade is the highest level of psychic power that a normal Human can attain and still be considered even remotely sane or cognisant of reality.Any Alpha Plus grade or higher psyker, however, is a being of almost grotesque power. They are described as being able to "turn a man inside-out with a glance," "snap a Battle Titan in half with a flick of the wrist," and "a muttered syllable can turn an army upon itself in a frenzy of blood lust." They are capable of destroying entire worlds -- sometimes unintentionally.