Power Classifications

Since parahumans began to appear in the 1980s and following the arrival of threats like the Endbringers, the Siberian and other villains, the need of a power classification to be used by law enforcement, government and the media became clear. While initially used only for classifying Villains, this classification is used to gauge the parahuman capabilities of all capes - whether hero, villain or rogue.

When a new parahuman reveals his presence he (or she) is identifed with one or more of twelve categories and a number in each one (usually betwen 1 and 10) to express the level of threat they offer to a PRT team. The scale does go beyond ten but that appears to be reserved for particularly dangerous or powerful threats.

The categories are: Mover, Shaker, Brute, Breaker, Master, Tinker, Blaster, Thinker, Striker, Changer, Trump and Stranger.

Weld theorizes that the powers may have been named the way they were to facilitate memorization using the following rhyme: <poem> Mover, Shaker,

  Brute and Breaker.

Master, Tinker,

  Blaster and Thinker,

Striker, Changer,

  Trump and Stranger.</poem>

Mover

A mover has the ability to transport themselves and/or others to other locations, by means of enhanced speed, teleportation, flight, vehicles or the like. PRT typically appends the movie classification with the specific type of capability, eg Mover: Teleporter.

Known Movers

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Aegis	Mover ?,  Brute ?	Flight
Alexandria	Mover ?, Brute ?, Thinker 6	Flight
Bambina	Mover 4, Shaker 4	Ricochets off hard surfaces at will, creating explosions at each point of contact. Can protect teammates from her own power.
Battery	Mover 4	Short intervals of extreme speed and strength. Must charge between intervals and must not personally move while charging.
Burnscar	Mover ?, Blaster ?	Teleportation through open flames
Butcher	Mover/Shaker? (among other things)	Explosive teleportation
Chariot	Mover ?	High speed flying suit
Glory Girl	Mover ?, Brute ?	Flight
Lady Photon	Blaster 4, Mover 3, and Shaker 3	Flight
Laserdream	Mover ?, Blaster ?, Shaker ?	Flight
Legend	Mover ?, Blaster ?, Breaker ?	Flight. Capable of attaining relativistic speeds when traveling in a straight line at the expense of conscious thought.
Oni Lee	Mover ?	Teleportation with a clone left behind
Purity	Blaster 8, Mover 4	Flight
Rosary	Mover ?, Shaker ?	Minor telekinesis
Shadow Stalker	Breaker 3, Stranger 2, Mover 1	Lower weight allows her to jump great distances, intangibility allows her to take shortcuts through walls, floors and ceilings
Shielder	Mover ?, Blaster ?, Shaker ?	Flight
Squealer	Tinker 2, Mover 3	Modified vehicles
Strider	Mover ?	Mass teleportation
Trickster	Mover ?	Teleportation. Can cause any two objects/people (including himself) within line-of-sight to switch places. The less similar in shape/mass/volume they are, the harder and slower the teleport is.
Velocity	Mover ?, Breaker ?	Superhuman speed inversely proportional to strength

Shaker

A Shaker can affect a broader area, asserting some degree of control over the battlefield.  May include gas, explosions, forcefields, and ambient or radiated effects. Most wide-area-effect, forcefield and spacetime manipulation powers fall under the Shaker classification.

Known Shakers

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Damsel of Distress	Shaker ?, Mover ?	Creates poorly controlled storms of unevenly altered gravity, time and space
Golem	Shaker, Thinker ?	Inserts appendages into surfaces of a given material, corresponding replicas emerge from other surfaces of the same material with their speed of emergence inversely proportional to chosen size.
Labyrinth	Shaker 12	Can completely change her surroundings at will
Lady Photon	Blaster 4, Mover 3, and Shaker 3	Forcefield bubble and shaped forcefields
Laserdream	Blaster, Mover, Shaker	As Lady Photon, weaker forcefields
Rosary	Shaker ?, Mover ?	Deconstruction and reconstruction of matter in thin, leaf-like sheets
Shielder	Blaster, Mover and Shaker	As Lady Photon, stronger forcefields
Skidmark	Shaker 2	Creates a layer of effect on flat surfaces that create a push towards one direction and corresponding resistance towards the other. Can be stacked repeatedly on the same spot(s) for increased intensity/magnitude of effect
Topsy	Shaker	Alters the direction but not magnitude of gravitational pull over a wide area
Vista	Shaker 9	Can bend, stretch, or compress space
Winter	Shaker	Wide area effect that sapped heat from the environment, kinetic energy from moving objects and volition from biological life forms

Breaker

A breaker is those who have some ability to ‘break’ the natural laws of the universe as far as those laws apply to them. This is frequently a side effect of powers to prevent them from harming their owners. They typically have the ability to alter themselves to a different state in which they maintain different abilities.  Appends other powers, but only in this state.  Can also include general altered states.

Known Breakers

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Scion	Breaker ?, Unknown others
Night	Breaker 9, Changer?	Becomes an inhuman monster when out of sight
Shadow Stalker	Breaker 3, Stranger 2, and Mover 1	Transforms into a shadow state
Fenja	Breaker	Warps space so she is simultaneously bigger and attacks against her are smaller
Menja	Breaker ?	Same as her sister
Velocity	Mover ?, Breaker ?	Is accelerated in relation to the world, but proportionally loses his ability to affect it
Lustrum	Breaker ?	Saps energy sources to form a hard light body which is unnaffected by gravity.

Brute

A Brute classification typically indicates enhanced strength or durability, capes who are most dangerous in a melee and are typically very difficult to put down.  While the execution may remain fairly stable, the source of this power can vary.

Known Brutes

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Lung	Brute 4-9, Blaster 2-6	Regeneration. Becomes progressively bigger, stronger and faster-healing as the fight goes on
Weld	Brute ?, Changer ?	Made of metal
Aegis	Brute ?, Mover ?	Redundant body and has a never ending supply of adrenaline
Alexandria	Brute ?, Mover ?, Thinker ?	Super strength and invulnerability
Hookwolf	Shifter 4, Brute 7	When transformed is made out of metal blades
Glory Girl	Brute ?, Mover ?	Super strong with a forcefield constantly surrounding her
Crawler	Brute ?	Extremely rapid regeneration; adapts to any injury with permanent physical changes that render him increasingly resistant and increasingly monstrous
Butcher	Trump ?	Multiple instances of super-strength inherited from Butchers I, III, VI, IX, XI and XIII; enhanced durability; healing factor; pain-negation
Hatchet Face	Brute, Trump	Superhuman strength and durability
King	Brute, Striker ?	Superhuman strength, automatically transfers all damage received to everyone he has touched in the previous 24 hours

Master

A cape whose powers let them control others or create minions (be they humans, parahumans, animals or specific objects). Ability to control beings. Can range from ability to control simple insects all the way up to superhuman/projections. Varies from area (touch to long distance), number of beings affected (one being to nearly infinite), simple commands to absolute control and across a spectrum of time lengths and programming (short durations vs. indefinitely or programmed commands). Can be of telepathic variety or require voice commands. The PRT typically designates Masters as the second-highest threat in any situation.

Known Masters

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Bitch	Master ?, Striker 5	Transforms dogs and wolves into strong monsters the size of vans
Canary	Master 8	Voice lets her command humans
Cherish	Master ?	Emotional control. Can sense and control other's emotion through a city-wide range.
Crusader	Master 6	Creates ghostly replicas of himself
Echidna	Master ?, Brute ?, Striker ?	Can create a clone of  a living creature that she has contact with. As long as she is in contact, she can create endless clones. The clones retain all memories from the originals and similar if not identical variations on their powers but are evil and often protect Echidna.
Heartbreaker	Master ?	Emotional manipulation with potentially permanent effects
Mockshow	Master-Shaker 6	Animates inanimate objects into rhino-like constructs under her control.
Moord Nag	Master ?	Controls a giant shadow-monster that apparently grows stronger by feeding on lives.
Nilbog	Master ? (>7)	Creates life (non-human forms)
Parian	Master 6	Can create and control cloth contructs.
Prism	Master ? Brute?	Creates duplicates of herself that can be condensed back into one, giving the remaining one (aka the original) a temporary surge of superhuman strength and speed.
Regent	Master ? (>6)	Can control a human's nervous system for hours at a time.
Skitter	Master 8, Thinker 1	Absolute control of arthropods within an area of about a quarter kilometer.
Teacher	Master? Trump?	Bestows tinker and thinker talents on chosen volunteers at the expense of their free will.
Satyrical	Master ?, Changer ?	Shapeshifting self-duplicator whose copies can also change shape (apparently human forms only) and are slightly tougher than normal.

Tinker

Covers anyone with powers that give them an advanced grasp of science. Lets them make technology years ahead of its time. They can intuitively create or alter many devices beyond the usual restrictions of knowledge, resources and physics. Tinkers are less dangerous when removed from their gear, but should not be assumed to be harmless.  A typical tinker can artificially assume any number of other classifications, depending on speciality. Speciality should be appended to the classification in every case possible. Many Tinker devices cannot be maintained or used safely by anyone except the Tinker in question.

Known Tinkers

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Dragon	Tinker ?	Understanding of other Tinkers' work
Bakuda	Tinker 6	Bombs
Armsmaster/ Defiant	Tinker ?	Miniaturization/Improved efficiency
Kid Win	Tinker 4	Modular equipment
Leet	Tinker ?	Can create anything, but rate of failure increases if he made it already
Chariot	Tinker ?, Mover ?	Devices that help with mobility and/or rapid transit
Squealer	Tinker 2, Mover 3	Modified Vehicles
Andrew Richter	Tinker ?	Computer programs
Mannequin	Tinker ?	Used to be biomes, terraforming and ecosystems. Currently used for body modifications
Masamune	Tinker ?	Mass-reproduction of others' tech
Bonesaw	Tinker ?	Human biology/medicine
Blasto	Tinker 6 (sub: master 5, blaster 2, shifter 2, brute 2)	Plants, Biology

Blaster

A cape with ranged, offensive attacks of some form.  Can include blasts, thrown or moved objects, grenades.  Not always damaging, but generally deleterious.

Response varies greatly depending on the nature of the blaster.  At low levels, cover is highly recommended.  At higher levels, movement is a higher priority, and cover should be assumed to be useless.

Known Blasters

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Purity	Blaster 8, Mover 4	Fires beams of light
Lung	Brute 4-9, Blaster 2-6	Can create and control fire
Flechette	Striker ?, Blaster ?	Fires crossbow bolts that break the laws of physics
Legend	Blaster ?, Mover ?	Shoots beams of light that can bend and split
Lady Photon	Blaster 4, Mover 3 and Shaker 3	Fires hard light blasts
Laserdream	Blaster ?, Mover, and Shaker ?	Same as her mother With more emphasis on offense
Shielder	Blaster ?, Mover ?, and Shaker ?	Same as his mother with more emphasis on shields
Ballistic	Blaster ?, Striker ?	Can accelerate an object to a set, bullet-like speed with a touch
Spitfire	Blaster ?	Spews fluid from her mouth that ignites with air contact and can melt concrete
Lightstar	Blaster ?	Slow moving projectiles that he detonates at will
Flashbang	Blaster ?	Creates light grenades
Burnscar	Blaster ?, Mover ?	Pyrokinetic

Thinker

Possesses enhanced knowledge, skills and/or perceptions beyond any reasonable norm.  Includes clairvoyance, precognition, skill acquisition, enhanced hearing and enhanced sight.

Thinker capes, all numbers assumed to be equal, take the highest priority in engagements.

Known Thinkers

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Tattletale	Thinker 7	Can obtain information by making connections, essentially making superlatively good guesses that build on each other.
Dinah	Thinker ?	Can calculate the probability of any event to an exacting degree
Alexandria	Thinker ?, Mover ?, Brute ?	Perfect memory, heightened cognitive speed and planning.
Skitter	Thinker 1, Master 8	Superhuman multitasking, able to perform literally hundreds of thousands of complex tasks with bugs simultaneously; Superhuman awareness of environment through sensory information received from bugs; Administration.
Accord	Thinker	Superhuman problem-solving, intellect scales with the complexity of the problem
Floret	Thinker ?, Shaker ?	Enhanced awareness and processing ability regarding fine detail.
Uber	Thinker ?	Instant mastery of any one learnable skill as long as he concentrates on it.
Watch	Thinker ?, Mover ?, Striker ?	Short-duration 360-degree X-ray vision uninhibited by shadows, walls or skin
Butcher	Thinker?, Brute?, Trump?	Danger sense, ranged x-ray vision calibrated for circulatory systems
Contessa	Thinker ?	Can instantly determine the steps needed to accomplish any task.
Number Man	Thinker ?	Complete mastery of numbers and probabilities.

Striker

A cape with the ability to apply some effect by touch or at point-blank range. Has a power that applies on physical contact.  Often applies a changed state, like the breaker classification, but isn’t personal.  Melee range, but not strength or durability, as per Brute.

The striker classification could include certain Breaker effects as they were applied to things other than the cape themselves, but not always. Other strikers included those who used energy weapons, those who had certain kinds of superstrength that weren’t accompanied by durability and those with pyrokinesis or such that didn’t extend more than a foot around them.

Known Strikers

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Clockblocker	Striker 7	Can freeze anything he touches in time; no control over duration of effect
Flechette	Striker ?, Blaster ?	Imbues objects with breaker-like effects
Brandish	Striker 5, Shifter 1	Able to deal powerful strikes that can shear through steel
Ballistic	Blaster ?, Striker ?	Accelerates objects to supersonic speeds with a touch. Cannot create lesser accelerations.
Rune	Striker ?	Touching an object lets her control it telekinetically
Faultline	Striker ?	Can cut through any non-living material with a touch.
Panacea	Striker 9-10?	Can manipulate biology with a touch.
Assault	Striker 7	Absorption and redirection of kinetic energy, momentum and inertia on physical contact.
Watch	Striker ?, Mover ?, Thinker ?	Intangible hands used to cause internal injuries.

Changer/Shifter

Can alter their form, appearance, and/or natural abilities through some manipulation of their bodies.  Does not include new powers beyond natural weapons, armor, or durability.

Known Changers

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Weld	Brute ?, Changer ?	Can change the shape of his body parts to form weapons
Genesis	Changer 9	Creates and projects a single solid image she controls from a remote distance that can have powers of their own
Fog	Shifter 8, Stranger 3	Transforms into a living mist with varying solidity that erodes living matter
Hookwolf	Shifter 4, Brute 7	Transforms into a giant wolf made of whirling metal blades
Brandish	Striker 5, Shifter 1	Can transform into a ball of hard light
Mush	Shifter 4	can change into a body composed of loose matter such as dirt
Satyrical	Changer ?, Master ?	Shapeshifting self-duplicator whose copies can also change shape

Trump

Can manipulate powers in some capacity, altering, granting, strengthening, weakening or removing them entirely, or has powers that interact solely with the powers of others. Can have different powers or effects based on circumstances.

PRT squads are encouraged, with capes sidelined, barring all but the most threatening situations.  Ranged fire and distance is encouraged, with minimal contact and involvement, to preserve safety of involved capes.

Known Trumps

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Victor	Trump ?, Thinker ?	Temporarily copies others' learned skills, while they lose them. If held long enough, the skills become permanent to him, though the victim eventually regains them as well.
Grue	Shaker ?, Stranger ?, Trump ?	Creates an area of darkness that inhibits breaker type abilities, dulls normal senses, blocks radiation and later copies other powers in a weaker form.
Gregor	Trump ?	Can manipulate his body to produce various chemicals.
Eidolon	Trump ?	Can gain powers (2-3 major ranked powers i.e. flying, aerokinetics, etc. or 4-5 minor ranked powers at once) to use. Must 'charge' those powers in order to use them to their full potential and has a refractory period when he switches powers.
Hatchet Face	Trump ? Brute ?	Can nullify the powers of other parahumans at short range.
Citrine	Shaker ? Trump ?	Can attune the laws of physics within a given area to arbitrary specifications. Given enough time, can thus dictate which parahuman powers will and will not work within her demesne.
Othala	Trump ?	Can grant powers from a limited pool to any parahuman but herself.

Stranger

Stranger powers predominantly lend themselves to infiltration.  Ability in question might bypass defenses, mislead, or help to avoid notice or otherwise affect a person's mind.

PRT response includes full ‘eyes on’ is SOP where possible.  Other safeguards include indiscriminate fire and high priority targeting.

Known Strangers

Cape	Classification	Power Description
Imp	Stranger 5	Fades out of awareness and memory while her power is active
Fog	Shifter 8, Stranger 3	Transforms into mist
Shadow Stalker	Breaker 3, Stranger 2, and Mover 1	Transforms into a lightweight largely-intangible "shadow form"
Othello	Stranger	Has a mirror-self that travels in a parallel dimension yet retains the ability to perceive and act upon this one
August Prince	Master 3, Stranger 3	Cannot be deliberately harmed by anyone within range of his power
Nice Guy	Stranger	Becomes barely noticeable and cannot be perceived as harmful by anyone within range of his power and perception.
Miasma	Stranger, Shaker?	Invisible, inaudible and emits an colorless odorless poison gas

(Detailed power classification breakdown direct from Wildbow)