Ranks and Measures

This game uses the term rank when talking about the value of a game trait. So you might say a hero has “rank 8 Strength” or simply “Strength 8” (which mean the same thing), or that an effect is rank 5, 9, 15, or what have you. Every quantifiable trait in the game has a rank assigned to it.

The game also uses a system of measures, real world values like pounds, seconds, minutes, hours, feet, yards, and miles, to name a few. There is a direct relationship between rank and measure, as shown on the Measurements Table.

USING THE MEASUREMENTS TABLE

The relationship between rank and measure has a number of uses in this game.

First, the capabilities of many traits are translated from their rank into a measurement. So the amount of weight a Strength rank of 3 can lift is determined by finding the equivalent weight measurement on the table, or 400 lbs. Similarly, the mass, distance, or time affected by various other traits, especially powers, is determined on the Measurements Table.

Also, because the measurements on the table operate at the same scale (roughly doubling every rank), it is possible to use it to quickly figure out relationships between things like mass, distance, speed, and time:

Distance Rank = Time Rank + Speed Rank

To determine the distance a hero covers in a given amount of time, add the rank of the time to the rank of the hero’s speed, with normal human ground speed being rank 0. So a normal person can cover 2 miles in an hour (time 9 + speed 0 = 9, the rank for 2 miles). In fact, with normal human speeds, you can just directly compare the time and distance columns of the table! As another example, a hero with Flight 12 can cover 8,000 miles in an hour! That’s 12 (speed) + 9 (time) = 21, the rank for 8,000 miles. The same character can go an amazing 16 miles in just 6 seconds (the time of one action round)!

Time Rank = Distance Rank – Speed Rank

Reversing the previous formula, we can also figure out how long it takes someone at a particular speed to cover a given distance, by subtracting the speed rank from the distance rank to get a time rank. So a normal human (speed 0) walking 30 miles (distance 13) takes about 16 hours. A hero with Speed 14 covers the same distance in (13 – 14 = –1) just 3 seconds!

Throwing Distance Rank = Strength Rank – Mass Rank

As another example, the distance rank a hero can throw something equals the hero’s Strength rank minus the mass rank of the object. So a hero with Strength 10 (able to lift 25 tons), picks up a 10-ton truck (mass rank 8). Since 10 – 8 = 2, the hero can then toss the truck rank 2 distance (120 feet)!

MEASUREMENTS TABLE

RANK MASS TIME DISTANCE VOLUME
–5 1.5 lb. 1/8 second 6 inches 1/32 cft.
–4 3 lbs. 1/4 second 1 foot 1/16 cft.
–3 6 lbs. 1/2 second 3 feet 1/8 cft.
–2 12 lbs. 1 second 6 feet 1/4 cft.
–1 25 lbs. 3 seconds 15 feet 1/2 cft.
0 50 lbs. 6 seconds 30 feet 1 cft.
1 100 lbs. 12 seconds 60 feet 2 cft.
2 200 lbs. 30 seconds 120 feet 4 cft.
3 400 lbs. 1 minute 250 feet 8 cft.
4 800 lbs. 2 minutes 500 feet 15 cft.
5 1,600 lbs. 4 minutes 900 feet 30 cft.
6 3,200 lbs. 8 minutes 1,800 feet 60 cft.
7 3 tons 15 minutes 1/2 mile 125 cft.
8 6 tons 30 minutes 1 mile 250 cft.
9 12 tons 1 hour 2 miles 500 cft.
10 25 tons 2 hours 4 miles 1,000 cft.
11 50 tons 4 hours 8 miles 2,000 cft.
12 100 tons 8 hours 16 miles 4,000 cft.
13 200 tons 16 hours 30 miles 8,000 cft.
14 400 tons 1 day 60 miles 15,000 cft.
15 800 tons 2 days 120 miles 32,000 cft.
16 1,600 tons 4 days 250 miles 65,000 cft.
17 3.2 ktons 1 week 500 miles 125,000 cft.
18 6 ktons 2 weeks 1,000 miles 250,000 cft.
19 12 ktons 1 month 2,000 miles 500,000 cft.
20 25 ktons 2 months 4,000 miles 1 million cft.
21 50 ktons 4 months 8,000 miles 2 million cft.
22 100 ktons 8 months 16,000 miles 4 million cft.
23 200 ktons 1.5 years 32,000 miles 8 million cft.
24 400 ktons 3 years 64,000 miles 15 million cft.
25 800 ktons 6 years 125,000 miles 32 million cft.
26 1,600 ktons 12 years 250,000 miles 65 million cft.
27 3,200 ktons 25 years 500,000 miles 125 million cft.
28 6,400 ktons 50 years 1 million miles 250 million cft.
29 12,500 ktons 100 years 2 million miles 500 million cft.
30 25,000 ktons 200 years 4 million miles 1 billion cft.
+1 x2 x2 x2 x2

Things to Know About Measurements

When using the Measurements Table, there are a few important things to keep in mind:

Each rank represents a range of measures. Time rank 4 is actually all measures between 1 and 2 minutes, and time rank 16 is everything between 2 and 4 days! So if you’re looking for a measurement that’s not on the table, pick the next highest one that is; so 12 hours is a time rank of 13 (more than 8 hours, but less than 16), and 6 miles is a distance rank of 11 (more than 4 miles, but less than 8).

Like abilities, measures can have negative ranks. In the time rank example, the time it takes a Speed 14 hero to cover 30 miles is rank –1, or 3 seconds. You can extend the negative side the Measurement Table just like you can the positive side, with each lower rank halving the previous measurement. So rank –6 is half a pound, 1/16th of a second, and 3 inches, for example.

Don’t directly add ranks. Putting rank 4 distance together with rank 6 distance is not rank 10 distance! Rank 4 is a distance measurement of 500 feet. Rank 6 is 600 yards (1,800 feet). Adding the measurements, you get about 2,300 feet. If you directly added the ranks, you’d get rank 10 distance, or 4 miles! If you have different ranks, it is best to either handle them separately or convert them to measurements, add the measurements together, and convert them back to a rank. In the previous example, 2,300 feet is rank 7 distance (around half a mile).

Measurements are approximate. Especially at the higher end, where each rank represents a wide range of measurements, the Measurements Table isn’t intended to provide precise values; it’s just a ballpark estimate so you have an idea of how things work in the context of the game. Don’t focus too heavily on precise answers, just use the table for general guidelines.

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