Threat levels

Threat levels are used to designate the martial potential of beings who dwell in the Spiral. There are eight levels, each mightier and typically more pugnacious than the last.

Noncombatant
Noncombatant characters are usually civilians or unarmed travelers with little or no experience in battle. When these units encounter hostile characters that are actually capable of fighting, they will usually flee or else lose their lives. Willful pacifists fall into this category. Noncombatants comprise the weakest threat level in the Spiral.

E.g. Lorena Larker and Celestia Ghostmane are both noncombatants.

Weakling
Weaklings are characters that are capable of engaging others in combat, yet they lose in almost every instance. These rare beings are the weakest of the weak, and they often doom themselves via their own klutziness, feebleness, or blatant lameness. Most weaklings have little experience with magic and rely on other characters to give them orders. Weaklings are often considered liabilities rather than assets.

E.g. Dead Matt and Warwick are both weaklings.

Rookie
Rookies comprise the first level of competent units. They are capable of holding their own against other competent characters, though they seldom last long when separated from the pack. Nevertheless, rookies can fight and think on their own. Some rookies are even capable of using magic.

E.g. Maxima and Mike Quinn are both rookies.

Intermediate
Intermediates are characters of middling strength; one may regard them as the “average” threat level. They can fight other characters skillfully, but they have few remarkable qualities. When they are presented with an adequate opening, they are capable of striking fatal blows. Some intermediates may use magic.

E.g. Mustang Sally and Kokoromori are both intermediates.

Veteran
Veteran characters are the most powerful of the common units. They are extremely proficient combatants that often exemplify peak physical fitness or an unusually sharp mind. Some veterans are even capable of besting large groups of lower characters on their own. It is not uncommon for veterans to wield magic.

E.g. Bonnie Anne and Skurkis Screaming Moon are both veterans.

Prime
Primes comprise the lowest level of “unique” characters. They stand a notch above the veterans because they are universally capable of inflicting severe damage upon enemy forces without the aid of other units. These units often display some level of invulnerability or heightened awareness in combat, as they can often rush into battle and emerge completely unscathed. Many primes wield magic.

E.g. Captain Dove and Sarah Steele are both primes.

Epic
Epics stand on a middling level between the primes and the ultimate tier. They are notable for their capacity to defeat primes and veterans with minimal difficulty. Epic units are essentially “armies of one,” as they dispatch their oft-numerous foes with startling ease. Most epics wield magic of some form.

E.g. Hades the Unseen and Beelzebuk are both epics.

Mega
Megas are paragons of creation—beings of such great might that no mortal can hope to defeat them in a fair fight. Even the masterful epics stand little chance against these all-powerful units. Megas often display either omnipotence or omniscience in some form, and some are even capable of altering reality on a whim. Few megas may be found without some variety of magic.

E.g. Death and Kane are both megas.