Excerpt from: '' Lexicon Arcanum: A Compendium for all things Arcane'' by High Magistrate Pillion of the Institute of Thaumaturgic Study.
----------------------------------------
There are a wide variety of ranking and classification systems used on temar by a variety of organizations. This compendium explains the most widely used and important ranking and classification systems on Temar.
----------------------------------------
ZENSAI AURILIST SCALE (ZAS)
The Zensai Aurilist Scale (ZAS) is the most advanced ranking system for classifying an auramancer's development. Originating on the Zensai continent, an earlier version was used to rank cultivators. After the continent’s discovery and subsequent cultural exchanges, the Institute adopted and modified the system for broader use.
The ZAS evaluates not only an auramancer’s destructive potential but also their progression level, physical and magical skill, and overall capabilities. This holistic approach allows for a comprehensive understanding of an auramancer’s prowess. The ranking system is divided into the following stages:
Initiate – Intermediate – Graduator – Expert – Master – King – Saint
Each of the first three stages has three ranks, while the latter stages (Expert and beyond) are categorized based on abilities rather than sub-ranks. For example:
* Initiate 1 < Initiate 3
* Graduator 1 > Intermediate 3
STAGES AND RANKS OF THE ZAS
1. INITIATE
The Initiate stage represents the beginning of an auramancer’s journey. At this level, they learn to sense and manipulate their internal aura.
* Initiate 1: The auramancer can sense and control their internal aura to a basic extent.
* Initiate 2: The auramancer can augment their physical abilities using internal aura manipulation.
* Initiate 3: The auramancer can enhance their sensory abilities through internal aura manipulation.
2. INTERMEDIATE
The Intermediate stage marks the beginning of true skill development. Auramancers at this level can perform superhuman feats and basic aura techniques.
* Intermediate 1: The auramancer selectively enhances physical and sensory abilities via aura nodes and utilizes internal aura techniques.
* Intermediate 2: The auramancer manifests their aura externally, enabling the use of external aura techniques.
* Intermediate 3: The auramancer infuses their aura into objects for specialized applications.
3. GRADUATOR
This stage is the highest achievable purely through hard work and practice. Graduators are highly skilled combatants and formidable adversaries.
* Graduator 1: The auramancer gains the ability to perform Auric Shifting, altering their external aura’s state (e.g., hardening for defense or softening for fluid manipulation).
* Graduator 2: The auramancer applies elemental energies to their aura, enabling the use of elemental aura techniques both internally and externally.
* Graduator 3: The auramancer employs Alchemo-Auric Biomodification to permanently enhance their physical, sensory, and cognitive capabilities.
Note: Most auramancers never progress beyond this stage, as advancing further requires more than skill alone. The transition to Expert and beyond necessitates:
* Advanced aura manipulation (both internal and external).
* A body enhanced through Alchemo-Auric Biomodification to endure the breakthrough.
* The ability to infuse one’s will into their aura—a skill achievable only through a profound epiphany or realization. This requirement acts as a natural barrier, preventing many from progressing further.
BEYOND GRADUATOR: THE PATH OF REALIZATION
4. EXPERT
At the Expert stage, auramancers gain the ability to infuse their aura with their will, enhancing its potency and abundance. This transformation fundamentally changes their aura, making it unique to the individual.
* Abilities:
* Infuse physical abilities with willpower, allowing feats that defy the laws of physics (e.g., superhuman strength or speed).
* Manifest willpower-infused aura externally as a Blade Aura. This specialized aura enhances weapons and grants unique effects to the wielder.
* Role: Experts are significant threats, often serving as generals or high-ranking officials.
5. MASTER
The Master stage is achieved after another profound realization. At this level, the auramancer’s willpower can manipulate the environment directly.
* Abilities:
* Infuse external aura with willpower, enabling environmental manipulation (e.g., lifting large objects without structural collapse or speaking magical effects into existence).
* Impact: Masters are rare but immensely powerful, capable of devastating entire towns or mountains.
6. KING
The King stage, named after the legendary King Lee Min of Zensai, marks the ability to impose one’s will upon reality itself.
* Abilities:
* Manifest an Aura Domain: A unique pocket plane superimposed over reality. This domain enhances the creator while within it and often exhibits unique effects and appearances tied to the individual’s willpower.
* Role: Kings are the elite of the elite, capable of facing armies and influencing nations. They are considered sentient weapons of mass destruction, wielding influence equivalent to entire governments.
7. SAINT
The Saint stage is a recent addition to the ZAS, created to accommodate the Sword Saint—reputedly the strongest auramancer on Temar.
* Abilities: Unknown. The Sword Saint has refused to disclose details about this stage, leaving it shrouded in mystery.
* Significance: This stage remains an enigma, representing the pinnacle of auramancy.
SUMMARY
The Zensai Aurilist Scale provides a structured framework for understanding and ranking auramancers. While most individuals remain at the Initiate, Intermediate, or Graduator levels, the stages beyond represent unparalleled mastery and power. The progression requires not just skill but also profound realizations and the ability to infuse willpower into aura, making the higher ranks the domain of a rare few.
----------------------------------------
ADVENTURERS ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (AAS)
The Adventurers Assessment System (AAS) was established by the Adventurers Guild to categorize the strength of awakened humanoids and mana-beasts, providing a unified standard for evaluating abilities and ensuring mission safety.
PURPOSE
The AAS serves as a tool to:
1. Measure magical power by evaluating the mana input, output, and magnitude of an individual's or beast's mana reserves.
2. Assess other factors such as:
* Combat skill and proficiency.
* Analytical thinking and tactical ability.
* Situational awareness in combat or survival scenarios.
* Elemental affinities and manipulation prowess.
* Bloodline abilities or unique traits.
The system ensures that both individual adventurers and adventuring parties are appropriately ranked to match their capabilities to the challenges they face.
RANKING SYSTEM
The AAS ranks humanoids, mana-beasts, and adventuring parties using tiered scales:
HUMANOID RANKING
Humanoids are ranked into seven tiers, from weakest (F) to strongest (S):
* F: Represents the average human, with no awakening or magical ability.
* E: Low-tier awakened individuals with minimal skill and mana reserves.
* D: Modestly skilled adventurers with basic magical control and combat capability.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
* C: Competent adventurers with refined skills and respectable magical abilities.
* B: Highly skilled individuals, capable of handling dangerous tasks and moderate mana-beasts.
* A: Elite adventurers, skilled tacticians with advanced magic, capable of soloing strong mana-beasts.
* S: The pinnacle of humanoid potential, often legendary heroes or prodigies with overwhelming power.
Each rank includes two sub-levels:
* Minus (-): Indicates the lower end of the rank.
* Plus (+): Indicates the higher end of the rank.
For example:
* B < B+
* S- > A+
MANA-BEAST RANKING
Mana-beasts are ranked similarly but without the F-tier, as even the weakest mana-beasts (E) far surpass the average unawakened human in power:
* E: Weak mana-beasts, often small creatures with minor magical abilities.
* D: Moderately dangerous beasts, requiring basic teamwork to subdue.
* C: Strong, aggressive creatures that require experienced parties to handle.
* B: Extremely dangerous beasts with powerful abilities, requiring advanced strategy.
* A: Beasts of immense power, capable of devastating entire regions, handled only by elite parties.
* S: Legendary creatures, often tied to world-altering events, myths, or catastrophes. These are rarely defeated, and survival is the goal of most encounters.
PARTY RANKING
Adventuring parties are ranked based on the combined strength, coordination, and capabilities of their members. A party must consist of at least three or more individuals.
* The rank of a party is determined by the collective strength of its members, taking into account:
* Individual capabilities (ranked via the AAS).
* Teamwork and coordination.
* Combat synergy, such as effective use of complementary skills and elements.
* Tactical ability in group engagements.
PARTY RANK COMPOSITION EXAMPLE
* A C-Rank Party would typically be composed of a combination of D and C rank individuals, for example one D rank One D+ rank and another C- rank. Despite their lower individual strength, they can work together to handle C-Rank challenges (e.g., a C-Rank mana-beast).
* Their combined teamwork, skill coordination, and planning allow them to overcome obstacles that might otherwise be too dangerous for a single individual of equal rank.
BALANCED VS. SPECIALIST PARTIES
* Balanced Party: Composed of members with a range of ranks and roles (e.g., tank, damage dealer, support) who can handle diverse challenges.
* Specialist Party: Focuses on a specific area of expertise (e.g., all members are fire-element users), excelling in certain situations but struggling in others.
APPLICATIONS OF THE AAS
1. Mission Assignment:
* Adventurers and parties are assigned tasks based on their rank, ensuring they are neither overwhelmed nor underutilized.
* For example, a C-Rank Party would be tasked with handling D+ to C-ranked mana-beasts, ensuring safety while providing a manageable challenge.
2. Cross-Comparison:
* The system allows for a comparison of humanoids and mana-beasts, making it easier to estimate the appropriate number of adventurers required to subdue a specific beast.
3. Standardization:
* The AAS creates a universal framework across all guild branches, ensuring consistency in evaluations and task distribution.
4. Party Growth:
* Parties can track their growth by improving teamwork and individual member ranks to progress to higher tiers.
* The AAS motivates adventurers to refine their coordination and roles within their party.
----------------------------------------
AWAKENED THREAT POTENTIAL SCALE (ATPS)
The Awakened Threat Potential Scale (ATPS) was created by the Association of Arcane Regulation to measure the potential threat level of awakened individuals or groups. While the AAS measures raw strength and capabilities, the ATPS evaluates a broader range of factors, including:
* Specialization in magic
* Tactical intellect
* Influence over others
* Psychological or strategic manipulation
* Potential for causing widespread chaos
The ATPS uses these factors to estimate the potential threat level of individual or group of awakened on a tier scale:
ATPS Tiers
1. Tier 1 – Local Threat
* Description: Individuals capable of threatening a group of people, such as untrained guards, or unawakened townsfolk.
* Examples:
* A rogue pyromancer capable of destroying multiple homes.
* A low-level Mana-beast hunting in village territory.
* AAS Equivalent: E to D.
2. Tier 2 – Town/City Threat
* Description: Individuals or groups capable of threatening the stability of a town or city, either through direct force or indirect means (e.g., manipulation of leaders or control of key resources).
* Examples:
* A mind mage who takes control of a mayor and town officials.
* A B-rank adventurer with destructive elemental magic capable of damaging city infrastructure.
* A swarm of Lindwyrms or Hornskulls nesting close to city borders.
* AAS Equivalent: D+ to C+.
3. Tier 3 – Regional Threat
* Description: A threat capable of destabilizing an entire region, such as a large province or major city-state. These threats often require intervention from elite adventurers or even military forces.
* Examples:
* An swarm of ectognamorph type mana-beasts nesting in an region.
* A mana-storm disrupting the flow of mana across a region.
* AAS Equivalent: B to A.
4. Tier 4 – National Threat
* Description: Capable of threatening an entire nation, often requiring national armies or coalitions of A-rank adventurers to stop. These individuals or groups possess overwhelming power, political influence, or control over massive resources.
* Examples:
* An S- mage capable of wiping out entire cities with a single spell.
* A sapient mana-beast with a swarm of subordinate creatures devastating the countryside.
* A rebel faction of awakened individuals aiming to overthrow a kingdom.
* AAS Equivalent: A+ to S-.
5. Tier 5 – International Threat
* Description: A global-level danger capable of threatening multiple governments or civilizations. These are rare but devastating threats that require worldwide cooperation to combat.
* Examples:
* A rogue God-tier awakened capable of erasing nations and even reshaping parts of the continent.
* A legendary mana-beast whose awakening could destroy multiple nations.
* A world-ending event, such as a planar rift destabilizing space causing an incursion.
* AAS Equivalent: S to S+.