== FACTION GRADING SYSTEM ==

(AKA, Tier, Category, Rank)

The problem with all systems that Ive so far seen is that races are roughly defined in a particular
franchise or human-similar scale. Most revolve around civilized development, under the belief
that races of fictional nature typically follow human evolution. Under such systems were all
human worlds the same, this might ring true, but there is a serious flaw within it.
There are races that can utilize magic. Insectoid races that pop from seemingly nowhere that feed
off of other civilizations. There are those that are descended of higher beings and a number of
other factors. Most systems stand to grade planets, not the overall race. So I built my own scale
that determines the grading scale of strength between factions. Such a system ought to be
something that should be flexible and applied near-universally. It is based upon the strength of
the society to destroy, combined with their capable influence over life.
= Sub Life (0 0.9 Category) Praesemis Origo
Creatures that live in this section have extremely low control or influence over their direct
environment at all. They are most often hunted or harvested for food. Some may produce some
means of defense, but otherwise have little to cohesively adapt. Most species in this category
include plants and omnivore animals, as well as microbial life. They breed slowly or do not
expand very fast without the help of a host or guidance of another set of creatures or higher life
forms, becoming extinct otherwise. Most of the danger from the sub life category has to do with
breeding numbers, disease or toxic application, and versatility as an invasive species.
EXAMPLES:
-- Harmless Ameba (0)
-- Edible Fauna (0.3)
-- Killer Bees (0.5)
-- Poisonous Rodents (0.7)
-- Semi-sentient Venus Mantraps (0.8)
-- Plaguing Flesh-rotting Disease (0.9)

= Sentient/Herding (1 1.9 Category) Pecus Infirma

To achieve a 1 status requires the ability to adapt to the environment or immediate changes in
correlation to others of the same or similar kind. They are often nothing more than a good natural
resource and are sometimes used for transportation for other beings. They have some defense
and mobility, but cannot leave their environment or require too many resources within it to leave.
Most creatures in this category are pack and herding animals, with a possible social hierarchy
system within their group, and own limited form of communication. Their breeding strength is
always controlled through environmental limitations that they cannot directly control themselves.
Example: most herd animals and even primates cannot plant, grow, or maintain their own food or
understand they can herd or develop their prey.
EXAMPLES:
-- Most Fish (1)
-- Lone Predatory Animals (1.3)
-- Herd Animals (1.5)
-- Predatory Pack Animals (1.7)
-- Primates (1.9)

= Simple Gatherers (2 2.9 Category) Indoctus Barbus

Category 2 consists of those creatures that are all sentient and capable of herding together with a
true, tangible language, if not basic. They can learn and achieve higher understanding but not by
much. Creatures here can also plant and gather food or hunt it down, but are often very
superstitious and care little for art or understanding. What humans might call cave men. They
are always able to reform basic materials and use them as tools or weapons, but their skills are
often limited.
EXAMPLES:
-- Can combine materials with binding (2.2)
-- Fosters own, basic resources (2.4)
-- Can use basic-function technology though not repair or understand it (2.5)
i.e. You pull trigger and it shoots sun bolt, push button to crush things inside box
-- Can create pulley/lever systems/complex, basic devices (2.7)
-- Can learn basics of another language (2.9)
Note: May not necessarily be able to speak it

= Undeveloped Society (3 3.9 Category) Civis Idonius

Humanity has undergone this stage variously in history, with small city-states, limited trade, and
travelling bands. Creatures in this area are often able to understand more than one language or, to
a degree, communicate. They can sometimes (not always) write and record, keep time, and most
often have a large amount of potential. Their ability to utilize or develop materials is improving,
able to reshape raw materials into better ones. They have very little, if anything to be considered
technology or magical arts. At the height of power, they can lay waste to several organized cities
but often have trouble conquering or holding any substantial amount of land.
EXAMPLES:
-- Can improve simple raw material (3)
-- Understands some aspects of healing (3.2)
-- Understands cross-breeding/splicing (3.3)
-- May understand negotiation or surrender (3.5)
-- Can break structures of improved raw material (3.6)
-- Seeks to improve current transportation types and can use materials to do so (3.8)
-- Capable of understanding cause-effect technology (3.9)
= Developing Society (4 4.9 Category) Civis Laximentum
Sometimes defining a race between a high category 3 and low category 4 becomes difficult. But
the distinct difference is the ability to safely travel within a planet or capable of
expanding/controlling a planet of category 3 or other category 4 civilizations. It is at this point
where only lack of knowledge, ample resources, or satisfaction in their environment grants this
organized race from moving to distant worlds. Other races might have once been graded at a 5 in
one time, but has since found a serious downfall and through lack of numbers or other limitations
cannot sizably affect other races in their environment entirely. Almost all Fantasy races set near
the Middle Ages will reside in this category.
EXAMPLES:
-- Able to explore beyond basic habitat using collected resources (4)
-- Capable of tactically adapting to survive stronger opponents (4.2)
-- Can/Has developed multiple tactics/weapons to bring down variable enemies (4.4)
-- Able to harvest/improve raw materials to steel specifications (4.5)
-- Can make materials for forced, ranged launch impact for individual/fixed structural use (4.7)
i.e. use pressurized environments like gunpowder or air pressure
-- Able to construct fortified, strategic locations or plot their demise with ample firepower (4.9)

= Enlightened (5 5.9 Category) Illumin Manus

The Enlightened feature a race that is able to safely navigate most if not all of the dangers in
their habitat or at least understand them to avoid most of their disaster. They can also completely
influence, if not destroy, said environment of their inner domain (such as their planet). For the
most part in evolving societies, this would begin to take place at the discovery of specialized
energy uses and the realization that rapid use of them would deplete their domain. Humans at the
modern stage are set at 5.9.
EXAMPLES:
-- Able to predict/survive all dangers in habitat (5)
-- Learned to harness/convert external power sources for improvement (5.2)
-- Able to influence or create disasters (5.3)
-- Limited/early space travel (5.5)
-- Can destroy all of its own society and re-emergence completely on a continent (5.7)
-- Can collectively destabilize the living structure of a planet (5.9)
[Current, human civilization of developed nations are at a 5.8]

= Star-Faring (6 6.9 Category) Scruto Astrum

The Star-Fairing are those who have some form of FTL travel and/or are able to influence
multiple planets. They might take a couple years to get anywhere far, but their ability to
produce combat in space and planetary invasion should not be taken lightly.
EXAMPLES:
-- Can reshape an alien landscape/establish off world base (6)
-- Able to produce multiple space fleets or similar (6.2)
-- Achieved FTL travel consistently (6.3)
-- Has the power to consume/destabilize a dozen planets within 1 ESY* (6.5)
-- Able to build a maintainable, independent habitat in a multi-billion ton scale (6.7)
-- Achieved intergalactic travel in less than a standard human lifetime (7)
[*ESY = Estimated Solar Year]
= Galactic Masters (7 7.9 Category) Astrum Ditio
Those within this category are so immensely powerful they can or have subjugated an entire
galaxy. Their domain might be fragmented or scattered, but they can transverse all across it.
Their range of influence is massive and they typically own an empire, or are capable of bringing
one down.
EXAMPLES:
-- Can completely demolish/destroy a planet in entirety (7)
-- Achieved successful and complete terraformation (7.3)
i.e. complete terraformation is reshaping continents and raise/lower/create oceans
-- (7.3)
-- (7.5)
-- (7.7)
-- Can completely destroy over a dozen planets in 1 ESY (7.7)

= Intergalactic Overlords (8 8.9 Category) Dominus Caeles

They have perfected the art of technology and capabilities to the absolute fullest extent. In the
height of their power, they fear nothing and have absolute dominion and control over a galaxy,
maybe even multiple galaxies. They might even be a race of guardians to the universe itself.
EXAMPLES:
-- Able to reshape/destroy a star (8)
-- Can recreate life or new races (8.2)
-- Can build entire planets (8.4)
-- Have reached the highest, absolute, technological peak (8.6)
-- Discovery/manipulation of several deep secrets and wonders of the universe (8.7)
-- Able to devour, create, or destroy a section of a galactic empire in 1 ESY (8.9)

= Ascended (9 10 Category) Stella Deus

Gods of the stars, racial beings in this category are rarely, if ever, seen. Beings that are
considered ascended have either transcended above the norm of reality or have already passed
into a fulfilled, higher state of existence. Often such is their technology that it is
indistinguishable from high forms of magic. There is littleif anythingfor them to fear and
there is usually only an expansive future. They are capable of crossing plains of reality or
enacting a state of godhood. Everyone else to them compose of just insects.
EXAMPLES:
-- Able to completely bend or manipulate reality in some extreme way (9)
-- Travel the depths of the galaxy/universe (9.2)
-- Create or utilized other, lower-grade races (9.4)
-- Understands or able to understand all forms of technology and possibly magic (9.6)
-- Can reshape or build entirely new worlds with careless ease (9.7)
-- Able to destroy multiple galaxies or greater in a year (9.8)
-- Can destroy or recreate whole portions of the universe (10)