Threat Classifications

Threat Classification measures the potential risk to society an individual, or group, represents.

Official Classifications in America are assigned by the Department for Supernatural Affairs (DSA), though the United Heroes and the Police usually give a lot of input, and may assign temporary classifications. Internationally, the United Supernatural Committee, a part of the PATO, handles these classifications.

Generally, these descriptors are only given to villains and vigilantes, but many heroes, as well as powerful metahuman political figures also carry one.

Theat Classifications range from ‘E’ to ‘S+’ and may be given a “+” or “-” descriptor, identify the individual as especially dangerous within that threat class, or less dangerous than most of said class.

Classifications
E-Class

Also known as the Kitchen Sink Class, this classification is the minimal class assigned to all metahumans, simply due to the volatile nature of powers, the impossibility of perfectly analyzing and predicting them. It is of no real importance, in the great scheme of things, and few bother ever mentioning it, as calling a person an E-Class threat is the same as saying “not dangerous enough in any way to qualify for the  real  classifications”.

D-Class

The second-most often applied classification, describing mostly metahumans (as well as a few very successful baseline operatives). It describes individuals who can threaten any baseline human, physically or mentally, by virtue of their power alone, without factoring in training, as well as the opposite, highly-trained individuals that can threaten any baseline human by virtue of training alone (as such, it can apply to a lot of baseline criminals, soldiers and policemen, though it is very, very rarely applied to exceptional cases).

C-Class

The most common classification applied to metahumans whose power alone or power and training combined can challenge entire groups of professional baseline fighters – be they military, criminal or any other professional unit. Usually, all superheroes and villains rate at least a C- rating.

B-Class

Now we get into the meat of things – those metahumans who really give the powers that be a headache. Of the three high classes, B-Class is by  far  the most common, comprising more than seventy percent of all classified metahumans above C-Class. Metahumans in this class are beyond the ability of anything less than a small army of baseline humans to take him or her down,  or  has some manner of connection or influence that allows them to defy baseline attempts of being taken down, as well as the willingness to use said abilities to cause damage to society in some way. It can also be applied to metahumans whose powers are, in and of themselves, going to cause low- to mid-level trouble (like most gadgeteers, limited mind controllers or power enhancers). Metahumans from this level and up are generally kept under close scrutiny by the government, though generally not to the point of antagonizing them – and, in fact, are treated  very  favourably when it comes to using their powers for the “good guys”. For example, a B-Class combat-focused metahuman who joins the army will generally make five to seven times the wage of any other personnel of the same rank.

A-Class

Originally A-Class was the highest class assigned to metahumans - applying to all those individuals judged impossible or extremely unlikely to take down without using metahumans of comparable power, or several metahumans with fitting powers.

Lady Light and The Dark were both among the first to be given this classification, when they were first introduced in the mid-thirties.

An A-Class metahuman in government employ generally makes ten to twelve times the wage of baselines of the same or similar function, and that doesn’t even factor in what some can do in the private market (such as as part of Private Security Companies – metahuman bodyguards are sought after to incredible degrees).

S-Class

S-Class are individuals (or groups) who, by dint of power alone, power and training or connections are capable of threatening entire  cities  or even  countries, threats on a global scale. They are generally capable of shrugging off anything but concentrated metahuman attempts at taking them down, either through sheer toughness, mobility or obfuscation, capable of causing massive damage to or subvert either material, mental, economic or social structures of society.

Universal telepaths, are automatically rated as such due to the various ways in which they can cause said subversion. It also applies to nearly all so-called ‘broken’ metahumans – monstrosities such as  Hastur, Weisswald and Queen Bee. The S-Class classification is also given to such persons as Lady Light, whose cultural weight and influence on the hero community (as well as her connections to The Dark and leading politicians) would allow her to cause incredible damage to the world, rivaling even her daughter Desolation-in-Light, should she go bad – or die. Another special member of this classification was Lara Appleton, Ember’s mother. Even though by herself she possesses minimal potential for danger the fact that she was the mother – and the closest confidante – of Ember placed her on this level.

S+

S+ metahumans – this classification  is unique in that it applies solely to metahumans – are those few individuals whose mere  existence  is a threat to global security, and whose every action is unlikely to do anything other than make things worse. It is applied only to individuals who are in themselves an inherent threat – ignoring the potential threat of any connections to others.

Originally created for Desolation-in-Light alone, but soon thereafter, Emyr Blackhill (The Godking of Mars) was raised to this level, and they were soon joined by Ember. The Devil’s Bride is also considered an S+ Class Threat. All individuals thus far given this classification have been considered effectively immortal, or at least so close that it makes no difference.