What is a Threat Level?
A threat level is a measurement of the 'threat' that one exudes towards other individuals. Pacifism hardly matters, in this case— this is entirely a measurement of exactly how much damage one can theoretically inflict. The typical measurement reference point is none other than the Human— the average Human in determination due to their innately weak, non-magical nature as a base race. and most other weaker races typically fall into the Extremely Low or sometimes the Low category. From that point onward, sorcerers, soldiers, ancient beings, and magical creatures alike become the central focus of the threat level system. Once one reaches Moderately High, the ability to raise one's threat level becomes exponential in difficulty. For the sake of the general individual, we shall not list species by their formal names— we will primarily utilise common names for simplicity.
Out of Character Notes
What Dictates Threat Level?
Some of this is obvious. Some isn't. Here is a rough list of what to expect to modify your threat level.
Considerable Impact -
- Physical attributes
- Magical potency
- Spell ranges
- Size
- Offensive spells
Everything from how durable your character is to their strength, reflex time, movement speed, and striking force is a big impact upon their physical attributes. Magical potency applies more towards the actual power of their spells and spell ranges are an important factor, albeit one that relies on height; typically, however, the larger an area of effect radius makes more of an impact. Size is, unfortunately, everything in this case— a big sixty-foot tall dragon is almost always going to be a bigger threat than the three-foot kobold it snuggles with every night.
Varying Impact -
- Companions and mounts
- Armour
- Weaponry
- Equipment
- Spell count
- Utility spells
- Supportive spells
- Regeneration
- Spell cooldowns
- Spell durations
Although these can also make a considerable impact in and of themselves, their variance in potency means that their impact is not always immense. The higher up in magical potency and durability one's armour, weaponry, and equipment is changes the amount of impact they have considerably. Spell count, however, is truly variable and depends upon the spells in question— it should be noted, however, that if you have too many attacking spells, the staff team may outright decline additions to their sheet in order to prevent your character from becoming too unbalanced. It's great that you want to be able to spam eight fire spells in a row, but it's just not balanced to have that, a dash ability, a healing spell, and a full set of magical armour. Moderation is key, in many ways.
Some Advice on Ability Design
In General -
- Check out the Libellum Magnum Animi for magic types, what damage they deal, and what they're capable of.
- Try to keep magic reasonable to what the character could feasibly learn or know. Some magic types, namely Summa Substantiale and Spatium Tempus, can take thousands of years to learn, let alone master.
- Some spells can share cooldowns if they're similar enough and count as 'one spell.'
- Consider adding counter-synergy to improve balancing on a stronger character.
- Consider keeping the number of offensive spells the character has equivalent to or less than the cooldown length of their strongest spell.
- Try to add in practical spells for day to day use.
- Each turn is 6-8 seconds.
- Spells can either go far, be strong, or have a large AoE— the stronger a spell is, the shorter its range, and vice versa.
- Note that the spell cap ranges below have two numbers— the first one is where most offensive spells should be. The second one is where most utility and support spells should cap out.
Cooldowns -
- Make sure cooldowns are longer than the duration.
- Make weak offensive abilities akin to a 'basic attack' may have a cooldown of four turns at a minimum.
- Make moderate offensive abilities have a cooldown of five turns at a minimum.
- Make strong offensive abilities have a cooldown of six turns at a minimum.
- Make utility abilities have a cooldown equivalent to at least one or more turns beyond its duration.
- If a spell has a lot of AoE, add an additional turn to its cooldown.
- Consider making certain utility spells have a cooldown of Duration + [Insert] Turns.
Durations -
- Make most utility spells have a duration of under six turns.
- Make most offensive spells have a duration of under four turns.
Ranges -
- Assuming a character can cast a spell of this range within their threat level, most characters cannot cast offensive spells farther than three times their height. Utility spells can, however, exceed this assuming they cannot inflict damage.
- The farther something's range or AoE goes, the weaker the spell ought to be.
Some Advice on Stats
- Carry weight is usually half of deadlift weight.
- Your strike speed is usually 4 mph (6.44 km/h) slower than your run speed.
- Reaction speed for the average person is between 300 ms to 200 ms and most races and magics do not provide bonuses to reflexes.
- Reaction speed is based on conscious reactions, not subconscious reactions.
How to Raise Your Threat Level
Many people want very powerful characters— we, of course, don't permit you to randomly make incredibly powerful characters and require you to have a genuine reason, but maybe, just maybe you want your character to grow in strength over time. Luckily for you, you, in fact, can very much grow your threat level over time. One of the staple characteristics of our quest, dungeon, and raid systems is that you can unlock new abilities, currency, and items that can improve your character. Admittedly, this generally only improves your threat level by very small increments and the higher of a threat level you are, the less this does, but you can still progress more if you have the dedication for it. We recommend starting one to three threat levels lower than you hope to become for decently reliable results, with one to two being more consistent.
Regional Threat Levels
Each region has a certain threat level that characters unaffiliated with the leadership or governance of a region; pre-established religion; pre-established, lore-relevant organization; or race should be capped under. A character can grow to exceed this cap, however, a character must start under this cap.
Out of Character Notes
Note that whilst higher threat levels are possible for first characters depending on where they come from, we generally prefer people make Moderately High and below for a first character so that they can understand the rules of the server first before they make a strong character— first characters cannot be Extremely High in threat level without valid reasoning and characters generally should fall into the ranges established below.
Average Threat Level Ranges
Aloernarch - Moderate to Extremely High
Fydrassi - Moderately Low to High
Furukame - Extremely Low to Moderate
Arkeum - Moderately Low to High
Udoxa - Moderate to Extremely High
Vasterioth - Moderately Low to High
Barasaire - Low to Moderately High
Alnabi - Low to Moderately High
Tiryt - Low to Moderately High
Liranon - Moderately Low to High
Tir'anor - Moderate to Extremely High
Aleria - Extremely Low to Moderate
Note that characters can be lesser in threat level than the established range in some scenarios.
What is a Soft Cap?
In this case, we are providing 'soft caps' for each threat level. By soft cap, we are essentially saying that whilst this might be the typical peak of that capability seen, individuals can definitely exceed it if they have fully orientated their character to that particular type of attribute, especially when higher in threat level. That being said, these are the general peak of that threat level— chances are, unless an individual is purely physical, a High Threat Level individual will likely be lifting half a ton, not a ton. That being said, the only exception to the 'soft' part are magic tiers; these are hard-capped. The higher up an individual is within a Threat Level, the more general variety one sees in capability. Do note that almost all attributes here are implying that the individual in question is taking a humanoid form unless otherwise specified. For future reference for one's specific species, it may be better to visit the table of contents to glance at specific races. The first spell count cap is based upon combative abilities; additional spells beyond that point primarily serve for utility spells and passives. Noncombat spells are ignored for this count, as are certain spells, such as telepathy, special senses, and racials that pertain to shapeshifting, venoms, regeneration, etcetera, as they are related to anatomy— if learned, however, this is not inherently true. The strength of a spell may also change how many combative spells are considered reasonable. The maximum range listed here typically applies to weak offensive, utility, or support spells.
Threat Level Add-Ons
Beyond their primary threat level, an individual can be classified as an Elite, a Raid Boss, or a World Boss. In general, unless they are affiliated with the leadership or governance of a region; pre-established religion; pre-established, lore-relevant organization; or race, a character should not be labelled as an Elite, Raid Boss, or World Boss outside of unusual circumstances, such as a character being possessed by a Bound Daiesthai or having Cerberus Eris. Most characters with these add-ons are specifically those with strong AoE, strong debuffs, strong buffs, and/or the ability to produce minions, although many are also just remarkably strong for a member of their given threat level. They are specialised for taking on several other characters by themselves. That being said, despite having this label, they are still considered a member of their threat level and oftentimes cannot handle higher threat level characters particularly well, albeit sometimes better than other members of their threat level.
Elite
An Elite is a member of a given threat level that can take on two to three others of that threat level. Elites are unusually strong for their threat level, but are not strong enough remotely to be considered for being a threat level above.
Raid Boss
A Raid Boss is a member of a given threat level that can take on four to five others of that threat level. For all functionality, a Raid Boss of a threat level is practically on par with a member of a Threat Level above them in many ways, but cannot reliably take on members of the threat level above them and is well within the limits of the soft caps of their threat level.
World Boss
A World Boss is a member of a given threat level that can take on six or more others of that threat level. For all functionality, a World Boss of a threat level is practically on par with a member of a Threat Level above them in many ways, but oftentimes is not strong enough to be consistently classified as a member of that threat level and still fall within the limits set by their threat level— they may be close to some of the caps, but they do not exceed them. World Bosses are, essentially, the pinnacle of the strongest one can get within a threat level without ascending to the next one.
Some Helpful Stats
Average Untrained Human -
- Deadlift: 135 to 175 lbs (61.2 to 79.4 kg)
- Carry Weight: 50 to 100 lbs (22.7 to 45.4 kg)
- Strike Force: 150 psi
- Bite Force: 160 psi
- Strike Speed: 15 to 20 mph (24 to 32 km/h)
- Run Speed: 11 to 18 mph (17.7 to 29.0 km/h)
- Swim Speed: 1 to 3 mph (1.61 to 4.83 km/h)
- Reaction Speed: 250 to 300 ms
Average Untrained Humankin -
- Flight Speed: 25 to 35 mph (40 to 56 km/h)
- Swim Speed: 11 to 18 mph (17.7 to 29.0 km/h)
Peak Human (World Records) -
- Deadlift: 1185 lbs (537.5 kg)
- Carry Weight: 592.5 lbs (286.8 kg)
- Strike Force: 1300 psi
- Bite Force: 162 psi
- Strike Speed: 45 mph (72.42 km/h)
- Run Speed: 28 mph (45.06 km/h)
- Swim Speed: 5 mph (8.05 km/h)
- Reaction Speed: 100 ms
Extremely Low Threat Level
The Extremely Low threat level or EL is the lowest threat level available. These are the weakest individuals in Asla'nir, but never allow your guard to fall, as any number of weak individuals can readily overpower someone much stronger. More often than not, EL is restricted towards completely magic-less individuals or those with lacklustre spell casting— if an individual is purely utilises utility or supportive abilities with no real offensive pressure, incredibly small in size, or just your average everyday citizen, they might just be an Extremely Low. Being an Extremely Low is not a bad thing at all— they are the main populace of Asla'nir. The average Humankin and any smaller variant tends to fall into this category, with those who are exceptional for their race delving up into Moderate. This means that in certain areas, their main population is almost entirely composed of the Extremely Low or Low threat level.
Archetypal Nations
Attribute Soft Cap
Strength -
- Deadlift: 200 lbs, 90.72 kg
- Carry Weight: 100 lbs, 45.36 kg
- Strike Force: 150 psi
- Bite Force: 350 psi
Agility -
- Strike Speed: 24 mph, 38.62 km/h
- Run Speed: 20 mph, 32.19 km/h
- Flight Speed: 35 mph, 56.33 km/h
- Swim Speed: 20 mph, 32.19 km/h
- Reaction Speed: 250 ms
Magic -
- Tier: Extremely Low
- Range: 1-3 metres
- Area of Effect: 1 metre radius
- Spell Count: 3-6 spells
Low Threat Level
The second lowest threat level is Low or L— found predominantly in the same areas as Extremely Low and Moderately Low threat level individuals, Low threat level characters are a bit more fiesty than their Low kin. Lows may have a bit more combat training than Extremely Lows, but most importantly, they generally possess mana that is capable of doing a bit more damage than Extremely Lows. Lows are typically distinguished by, despite possessing spells that can inflict as much damage as a Moderately Low, having very few damaging spells, much like Extremely Low threat level characters. All in all, a bit of magical or physical training is what results in an Extremely Low becoming a Low and this pays off in the long run. Those with mostly human or even subhuman capabilities with a bit more magical potency tend to fall into this category.
Archetypal Nations
Attribute Soft Cap
Strength -
- Deadlift: 350 lbs, 158.76 kg
- Carry Weight: 175 lbs, 79.38 kg
- Strike Force: 350 psi
- Bite Force: 550 psi
Agility -
- Strike Speed: 27 mph, 43.45 km/h
- Run Speed: 23 mph, 37.10 km/h
- Flight Speed: 40 mph, 64.37 km/h
- Swim Speed: 23 mph, 37.10 km/h
- Reaction Speed: 225 ms
Magic -
- Tier: Low
- Range: 1.5-3.5 metres
- Area of Effect: 1.5 metre radius
- Spell Count: 3-6 spells
Moderately Low Threat Level
The Moderately Low threat level is a common threat level found in slightly more potent humanoid races, but also typically the maximum for some of their members— smaller races typically cap out at Moderately Low and those that reside in more dangerous areas oftentimes require larger members of their kin to protect them. Those that are 'superhuman' tend to fall into this category, as do most 'Humankin' mercenaries, soldiers, and trained professionals. Most large races tend not to fall into this category even with their weakest members unless in their youth. That being said, in Moderately Low Tier locations, such as Aleria and Furukame, this tends to be the category that more powerful individuals fall into, with some barely surpassing this into the Moderate category, and for Moderate Tier locations, this tends to be where their weakest members fall into.
Archetypal Nations
Attribute Soft Cap
Strength -
- Deadlift: 500 lbs, 226.80 kg
- Carry Weight: 250 lbs, 133.39 kg
- Strike Force: 500 psi
- Bite Force: 750 psi
Agility -
- Strike Speed: 31 mph, 49.89 km/h
- Run Speed: 27 mph, 43.5 km/h
- Flight Speed: 50 mph, 80.5 km/h
- Swim Speed: 27 mph, 43.5 km/h
- Reaction Speed: 200 ms
Magic -
- Tier: Low
- Range: 2-4 metres
- Area of Effect: 2 metre radius
- Spell Count: 4-7 spells
Moderate Threat Level
The Moderate Threat Level tends to contain some of the stronger Human-kin, but it also contains younger and smaller members of larger races who might not be on par with the Moderately High threat level due to their magical potency or physical potency being lacklustre. For that reason, one can expect to see especially small members of large races, such as adolescent Draconians. Moderate threat level individuals are certainly 'superhuman,' moreso than Moderately Low individuals are— if someone falls within the physical attributes of the Moderate threat level and is a Humankin, it is likely through magic, a Divine Title, or extreme training and skill. As such, most Moderates that are Humankin are magically potent Humankin who are capable of taking on races that most Humans would not dare dream of attacking without a horde to back them up.
Archetypal Nations
Humanoid Attribute Soft Cap
Strength -
- Deadlift: 800 lbs, 362.87 kg
- Carry Weight: 400 lbs, 181.437 kg
- Strike Force: 780 psi
- Bite Force: 1050 psi
Agility -
- Strike Speed: 37 mph, 59.55 km/h
- Run Speed: 33 mph, 53.11 km/h
- Flight Speed: 57 mph, 91.73 km/h
- Swim Speed: 33 mph, 53.11 km/h
- Reaction Speed: 175 ms
Magic -
- Tier: Moderately Low
- Range: 2.5-4.5 metres
- Area of Effect: 2.5 metre radius
- Spell Count: 5-8 spells
Non-Humanoid Attribute Soft Cap
Strength -
- Deadlift: 2x body weight
- Drag Weight: .5x body weight
- Carry Weight: .25x body weight
- Strike Force: Up to Tier 2
- Bite Force: Up to Tier 2
Agility -
- Strike Speed: 46 mph, 74.03 km/h
- Run Speed: 42 mph, 67.59 km/h
- Flight Speed: 60 mph, 96.6 km/h
- Swim Speed: 42 mph, 67.59 km/h
- Reaction Speed: 175 ms
Magic -
- Tier: Moderately Low
- Range: 2.5-4.5 metres
- Area of Effect: 2.5 metre radius
- Spell Count: 5-8 spells
Moderately High Threat Level
Within the Moderately High threat level, the bulk of humanoid members are those of incredible magical potency and powerful bloodlines— to go beyond this point, or even to reach it as a Human-derived race is exceptional, if not outright impossible for many. Only the most powerful of Asla'nirians can hope to reach or surpass Moderately High and this category is predominantly composed of the likes of biologically immortal races, close relatives to Core Races, or incredibly powerful members of typically weak races. Although Moderately High threat level individuals are the weaker members of High Tier locations, these are the most powerful individuals of most other regions. For many, Moderately High is the peak of what they will reach— this is not a bad thing, inherently, either. Being a Moderately High threat level enables one to feasibly travel the world with very little issue so long as they know precisely where to avoid poking their head at. That being said, Moderately High is a somewhat broad category. Young adult members of biologically immortal races are much more prevalent, but there is a lot more variety beyond such— an average individual who can empower themselves to incredible degrees or a physically weak but magically potent spellcaster can easily fall into this category as well.
Archetypal Nations
Humanoid Attribute Soft Cap
Strength -
- Deadlift: 1250 lbs, 566.99 kg
- Carry Weight: 750 lbs, 340.19 kg
- Strike Force: 1230 psi
- Bite Force: 1500 psi
Agility -
- Strike Speed: 42 mph, 67.59 km/h
- Run Speed: 38 mph, 61.16 km/h
- Flight Speed: 65 mph, 104.6 km/h
- Swim Speed: 38 mph, 61.16 km/h
- Reaction Speed: 140 ms
Magic -
- Tier: Moderate
- Range: 8-10.5 metres
- Area of Effect: 6 metre radius
- Spell Count: 6-9 spells
Non-Humanoid Attribute Soft Cap
Strength -
- Deadlift: 2x body weight
- Drag Weight: .5x body weight
- Carry Weight: .25x body weight
- Strike Force: Up to Tier 3
- Bite Force: Up to Tier 3
Agility -
- Strike Speed: 54 mph, 86.90 km/h
- Run Speed: 50 mph, 80.48 km/h
- Flight Speed: 68 mph, 109.4 km/h
- Swim Speed: 50 mph, 80.5 km/h
- Reaction Speed: 140 ms
Magic -
- Tier: Moderate
- Range: 8-10.5 metres
- Area of Effect: 6 metre radius
- Spell Count: 6-9 spells
High Threat Level
For all but the largest of races, High is generally the capstone of their potency, the peak of their potential, and where the mightiest members of their civilisations lie. High threat level characters make the basic Human peasant consistently look like an inconvenience rather than a threat— these are where many adult biologically immortal races tend to lie, where those with minor Divine Titles may linger, and where individuals of considerable power, physicality, and wisdom tend to make their grand finale. For some locations, this is a somewhat more common member of their civilisation, such as within High Tier Zones, but for most locations, this is where the leaders of nations can be found. Although a Moderately High threat level individual can feasibly travel the world, a High threat level character can live in some of the most dangerous regions of Asla'nir without as much concern for whether or not they might end up a snack to some powerful beast in the wilderness.
Archetypal Nations
Humanoid Attribute Soft Cap
Strength -
- Deadlift: 2500 lbs, 1133.98 kg
- Carry Weight: 1250 lbs, 566.99 kg
- Strike Force: 1700 psi
- Bite Force: 1970 psi
Agility -
- Strike Speed: 42 mph, 67.59 km/h
- Run Speed: 38 mph, 61.16 km/h
- Flight Speed: 65 mph, 104.6 km/h
- Swim Speed: 38 mph, 61.16 km/h
- Reaction Speed: 100 ms
Magic -
- Tier: Moderately High
- Range: 3.5-5.5 metres
- Area of Effect: 3.5 metre radius
- Spell Count: 7-10 spells
Non-Humanoid Attribute Soft Cap
Strength -
- Deadlift: 2x body weight
- Drag Weight: .5x body weight
- Carry Weight: .25x body weight
- Strike Force: Up to Tier 4
- Bite Force: Up to Tier 4
Agility -
- Strike Speed: 59 mph, 94.95 km/h
- Run Speed: 55 mph, 67.59 km/h
- Flight Speed: 72 mph, 109.4 km/h
- Swim Speed: 55 mph, 67.59 km/h
- Reaction Speed: 100 ms
Magic -
- Tier: Moderately High
- Range: 12-15 metres
- Area of Effect: 7 metre radius
- Spell Count: 7-10 spells
Extremely High Threat Level
The broadest range out of all of Asla'nir, the Extremely High range is typically constrained to the likes of the Divine and the most ancient entities throughout Asla'nir with very few exceptions. These are the largest and most powerful Asla'nirians— very few are remotely humanoid in size and it is at this point that one begins to see entities that have lived hundreds of Human lifetimes, achieved magical prowess that extends beyond all others, and are so large, indomitable, and mighty that almost nothing can hope to reach their level of power. These are the nation leaders of High Tier Zones, older adults of large biological immortal races, and those that have seen Asla'nir change for dozens of thousands of years. Whilst this may seem like an achievement, many of these individuals have known suffering after having seen Asla'nir struggle through wars, having spent lifetimes losing loved one after loved one, and having experienced thousands of years of trauma. Despite that, they have nearly mastered their magic to such an extraordinary degree that they are difficult to compare to and they are the peak of physicality, leaders of their societies, and intelligent beyond Human comprehension. That being said, many of these entities are so ancient that they have grown so large that their bodies may begin to fail regardless of their seeming immortality— they are progressing closer and closer to being guided to the Hall of Judgement as nothing, not even power, can stop death.