Rank charts for a Supers setting

[Phantasm]

The setting is one with a number of interstellar alien empires interacting with an Early 21st Century Earth that happens to have a large and potentially powerful superhuman population. However, Earth itself is still rather "Balkanized", not "united" like the alien empires trying to conquer it would expect. The majority of superhumans appear to be from the United States and Europe; quite possibly there are even more superhumans in China and India, but they don't make the front page as often.

As such, these charts are geared towards the United States for Earth-level rankings. (Yes, this is for my Marvel Reboot project; it could just as easily be adapted for Star Wars. A lot of it is based off the tables in Traveller: Interstellar Wars.)

Administrative Rank
18 - Leader of a first-tier interstellar empire (Kree, Skrull, Shi'ar Empires)
17 - Leader of a second-tier interstellar empire (Rigellian Empire)
16 - Leader of a third-tier interstellar empire; Leader of an over-sector (up to a dozen sectors of an interstellar empire)
15 - Leader of a major sector (up to a dozen major star systems) or a small interstellar nation
14 - Leader of a major star system or a minor sector (up to a dozen minor star systems)
13 - Head of a major interstellar empire-level government agency (about 500 million subordinates); Leader of a major planet or minor star system
12 - Head of a major sector-level or typical interstellar empire-level government agency (about 100 million subordinates); Leader of a minor planet or a large region of a major planet
11 - Head of a major star system level or typical sector-level government agency (about 20 million subordinates); Leader of a first-tier nation-state (European Union, United States)
10 - Head of a major planetary government or typical star system level agency (about 5 million subordinates); Leader of a second-tier nation-state (Argentina, Russia)
9 - Head of a typical planetary government agency (about 1 million subordinates); Leader of a third-tier nation-state (Australia, Netherlands); US Senator, US Supreme Court Justice
8 - Head of a very large national government agency (about 200,00 subordinates; State Department); US Congressman, Federal appellate court justice; Leader of a small nation-state; Head of a small planetary government agency
7 - Head of a large national government agency (about 50,000 subordinates; CIA, FBI, USPS); Leader of a megalopolis, a medium province (Pennsylvania, Massachusetts) or a very small nation-state (Atlantis); Governor or elected leader of a minor colony world; Federal lower-court justice
6 - Head of a small national government agency (about 10,000 subordinates; FEMA, OSHA); Provincial upper-house member (State Senator) or Supreme Court Justice for large state/province; Leader of a major city (New York City, Chicago, Tokyo) or a small state/province (Montana)
5 - Chief of a large department (about 2,000 subordinates); Head of a large urban or provincial government agency (New York City Fire Department; New York Police Department); Provincial lower-house member or state appellate court justice for large province; Leader of a large town or small city (Allentown, PA; Trenton, NJ)
4 - Head of a large office or small department (about 500 subordinates); Head of a small urban or provincial government agency; Leader of a small town or a county-sized rural political unit; Large city judge, large city councilman
3 - Chief of a small office (50-200 subordinates); Large city chief prosecutor (NYC District Attorney)
2 - Branch or division leader (10-50 subordinates); Technical specialist with a large staff
1 - Team leader (1-10 subordinates); Technical specialist with a small staff
0 - Ordinary rank-and-file worker (no subordinates)

[Phantasm]

Merchant Ranks
12 - CEO of a large multinational corporation (about 100 million employees)
11 - CEO of a typical multinational corporation (about 20 million employees)
10 - CEO of a very large corporation (about 5 million employees)
9 - CEO of a large corporation (about 1 million employees)
8 - CEO of a medium-sized corporation (about 200,000 employees)
7 - CEO of a small corporation or subsidiary (about 50,000 employees)
6 - CEO of a very small corporation or subsidiary (about 10,000 employees)
5 - Chief of a large department (about 2,000 employees)
4 - Chief of a large office or small department (about 500 employees)
3 - Chief of a small office (50-200 employees)
2 - Branch or division leader (10-50 subordinates); Technical specialist with a large staff
1 - Team leader (1-10 subordinates); Technical specialist with a small staff
0 - Ordinary rank-and-file worker (no subordinates)


Military Ranks
11 - Grand General (Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Starfighter Corps); Grand Admiral (Navy, Starfleet); over-sector commander
10 - Sector General (Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Starfighter Corps); High Admiral (Navy, Starfleet); sector commander
9 - High General (Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Starfighter Corps); Fleet Admiral (Navy, Starfleet); system commander
8 - General, Lieutenant General (Army, MC, AF, SFC); theater, field army, or corps commander. Admiral, Vice Admiral (Navy, SF); fleet or theater commander
7 - Major General, Brigadier General (Army, MC, AF, SFV); Division or brigade commander. Rear Admiral, Commodore; Commander of a capital-ship task force (battleships, carriers), a division of smaller ships, or an important naval base
6 - Colonel (Army, MC, AF, SFC); Regiment commander. Captain (Navy, SF); Commander of a large-ship task force (heavy or attack cruisers), a large warship, or a naval station
5 - Lieutenant Colonel (Army, MC, AF, SFC); battalion commander. Commander; Commander of a small-ship squadron (destroyers, frigates), head of a major division on board a large warship
4 - Major, Captain (Army, MC, AF, SFC; company commander. Lieutenant Commander (Navy, SF); Commander of a small warship or minor division on a large warship
3 - 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenant (Army, MC, AF, SFC), Chief Warrant Officer (Army, MC), platoon commander. Lieutenant, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Ensign, Chief Warrant Officer (Navy, SF); Commander of a crew section or division on a small warship
2 - Warrant Officer, Sergeant Major, Master Sergeant, Sergeant First Class, Staff Sergeant (Army); Warrant Officer, Sergeant Major, Master Sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant, Staff Sergeant (Marine Corps); Chief Master Sergeant, Senior Master Sergeant, Master Sergeant, Technical Sergeant, Staff Sergeant (AF, SFC); senior staff at company level or higher. Warrant Officer, Master Chief Petty Officer, Senior Chief Petty Officer, Chief Petty Officer (Navy, SF); Senior staff for a large ship or crew section
1 - Sergeant (Army, MC, AF, SF), Corporal (Army, MC), Specialist (Army), Senior Airman (AF), Senior Spacehand (SF); platoon senior squad leader or team leader. Petty Officer 1st Class, Petty Officer 2nd Class, Petty Officer 3rd Class (Navy, SF); Senior staff for a small ship
0 - Lance Corporal (MC), Private First Class, Private (Army, MC), Airman First Class, Airman, Airman Recruit (AF), Spacehand First Class, Spacehand, Spacehand Recruit (SFC); Seaman, Seaman Apprentice, Seaman Recruit (Navy), Spacehand, Spacehand Apprentice, Spacehand Recruit (SFC). Ordinary enlisted personnel.

Sorry about the mess of the military rank system.

[Phantasm]

Police Ranks: NYPD
8- Commissioner; Overall head of police; appointed by mayor
7 - First Deputy Commissioner , Deputy Commissioner
6 - Chief of Department; Commander of daily operations
5 - Bureau Chief; Bureau commander. Assistant Chief, Patrol Borough or Division commander
4 - Deputy Chief
3 - Inspector, Deputy Inspector, Captain; Unit or Precinct Commander
2 - Lieutenant, Sergeant; Squad Leader
1 - Detective; Investigator
0 - Officer; Beat Cop

Police Ranks: LAPD
6 - Chief of Police; Head of department, reports to board of commissioners
5 - Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief; Administrative section commander
4 - Commander; Bureau commander
3 - Captain; Division commander
2 - Lieutenant, Sergeant; Squad Leader
1 - Detective; Investigator
0 - Officer; Beat Cop

Police Ranks: Chicago PD
9 - Superintendent of Police; Head of the department
8 - Assistant Superintendent
7 - Deputy Superintendent; Bureau commander
6 - Chief; Unit commander
5 - Deputy Chief; Unit second in command
4 - Commander; District commander
3 - Captain; District second in command
2 - Lieutenant, Inspector, Sergeant; Squad leader
1 - Detective; Investigator
0 - Officer; Beat cop

Police Ranks: Houston PD
4 - Chief of Police; Department commander
3 - Executive Assistant Chief, Assistant Chief of Police; Patrol Division commander
2 - Captain; District commander
1 - Lieutenant, Sergeant; Beat commander
0 - Senior Officer, Officer; Beat Cop

Police Ranks: Phoenix PD
6 - Chief of Police; Department commander
5 - Executive Assistant Chief, Assistant Chief; Division commander
4 - Commander; Precinct commander
3 - Lieutenant; Duty officer
2 - Sergeant; Squad leader
1 - Detective; Investigator
0 - Officer; Beat cop

A bit of explanation: I strafed Wikipedia for information on the ranks for these five cities, after it became apparent that they did not share the same ranking system. As it is, I had to make a few judgment calls for rankings; technically, in all cases, there's no difference between Officer and Detective in theoretical authority, but the duties of the Detective are greater than that of an Officer, so I gave them Rank 1 to reflect it. The top man in each case, with the exception of the LAPD, is appointed by the city.

In all cases, "District is pretty much synonymous with "Precinct".

Those handling the DCU may want to replicate the NYPD for both Gotham and Metropolis.


Anything I might have missed?

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

The setting is one with a number of interstellar alien empires interacting with an Early 21st Century Earth that happens to have a large and potentially powerful superhuman population. However, Earth itself is still rather "Balkanized", not "united" like the alien empires trying to conquer it would expect. The majority of superhumans appear to be from the United States and Europe; quite possibly there are even more superhumans in China and India, but they don't make the front page as often.

As such, these charts are geared towards the United States for Earth-level rankings. (Yes, this is for my Marvel Reboot project; it could just as easily be adapted for Star Wars. A lot of it is based off the tables in Traveller: Interstellar Wars.)

Administrative Rank
18 - Leader of a first-tier interstellar empire (Kree, Skrull, Shi'ar Empires)
17 - Leader of a second-tier interstellar empire (Rigellian Empire)
16 - Leader of a third-tier interstellar empire; Leader of an over-sector (up to a dozen sectors of an interstellar empire)
15 - Leader of a major sector (up to a dozen major star systems) or a small interstellar nation
14 - Leader of a major star system or a minor sector (up to a dozen minor star systems)
13 - Head of a major interstellar empire-level government agency (about 500 million subordinates); Leader of a major planet or minor star system

Not a good idea. Consider what rank does to reaction rolls. Humans are not that much more impressed by the Shi'Ar empress than they are by the ruler of a single alien planet.

[Langy]

I'd be wary of expanding ranks beyond eight or so, no matter the size of the organization. Anything greater than that can just be handled via Courtesy Rank, really.

[Figleaf23]

I think 18 levels of rank is too elaborate.

I would suggest collapsing some of them together, perhaps like this:

Administrative Rank

Rank 8
- Leader of a first-tier interstellar empire (Kree, Skrull, Shi'ar Empires)
- Leader of a second-tier interstellar empire (Rigellian Empire)
- Leader of a third-tier interstellar empire;


Rank 7

-Leader of an over-sector (up to a dozen sectors of an interstellar empire)
- Leader of a major sector (up to a dozen major star systems) or a small interstellar nation
- Leader of a major star system or a minor sector (up to a dozen minor star systems)
- Head of a major interstellar empire-level government agency (about 500 million subordinates);


Rank 6
Leader of a major planet or minor star system
- Head of a major sector-level or typical interstellar empire-level government agency (about 100 million subordinates); Leader of a minor planet or a large region of a major planet
- Head of a major star system level or typical sector-level government agency (about 20 million subordinates);


Rank 5
-Leader of a first-tier nation-state (European Union, United States)
- Head of a major planetary government or typical star system level agency (about 5 million subordinates); Leader of a second-tier nation-state (Argentina, Russia)
- Head of a typical planetary government agency (about 1 million subordinates);
-Leader of a third-tier nation-state (Australia, Netherlands);



Rank 4
-US Senator, US Supreme Court Justice*
- Head of a very large national government agency (about 200,00 subordinates; State Department); US Congressman, Federal appellate court justice; Leader of a small nation-state; Head of a small planetary government agency
- Head of a large national government agency (about 50,000 subordinates; CIA, FBI, USPS); Leader of a megalopolis, a medium province (Pennsylvania, Massachusetts) or a very small nation-state (Atlantis); Governor or elected leader of a minor colony world; Federal lower-court justice
6 - Head of a small national government agency (about 10,000 subordinates; FEMA, OSHA);

Rank 3
-Provincial upper-house member (State Senator) or Supreme Court Justice for large state/province; Leader of a major city (New York City, Chicago, Tokyo) or a small state/province (Montana)
-Chief of a large department (about 2,000 subordinates); Head of a large urban or provincial government agency (New York City Fire Department; New York Police Department); Provincial lower-house member or state appellate court justice for large province; Leader of a large town or small city (Allentown, PA; Trenton, NJ)
Head of a large office or small department (about 500 subordinates); Head of a small urban or provincial government agency;

Rank 2
-Leader of a small town or a county-sized rural political unit; Large city judge, large city councilman
- Chief of a small office (50-200 subordinates); Large city chief prosecutor (NYC District Attorney)
- Branch or division leader (10-50 subordinates); Technical specialist with a large staff

Rank 1
- Team leader (1-10 subordinates); Technical specialist with a small staff

Rank 0
- Ordinary rank-and-file worker (no subordinates)

*Semi-relevant digression: Note that I am not expressing support for the idea of members of the judiciary or legislative assemblies having actual rank in a theoretical unified bureaucracy. In truth, I don't believe that represents the reality of 21st century democracies, as discussed here.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Not a good idea. Consider what rank does to reaction rolls. Humans are not that much more impressed by the Shi'Ar empress than they are by the ruler of a single alien planet.

Having Status etc. add to reaction rolls fails to make sense in a lot of other circumstances too. I don't think that's so much a problem with number of levels of ranks as it is with tying them to reaction rolls at all. More or less the entire point of Rank is you can give orders to people they must obey *regardless* of how they would react to you as a private individual.

But I do think this is way too many levels. My personal rule of thumb is take the log of the number of people in an organization. That's the highest level rank in it. So you'd only have 18 levels of rank in an organization with 10^18 members, which is probably more than most galaxies. Admittedly this also ends up flattening some of the tables in the RAW, but I don't see that as a problem.

[Figleaf23]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

The setting is one with a number of interstellar alien empires interacting with an Early 21st Century Earth that happens to have a large and potentially powerful superhuman population. However, Earth itself is still rather "Balkanized", not "united" like the alien empires trying to conquer it would expect. The majority of superhumans appear to be from the United States and Europe; quite possibly there are even more superhumans in China and India, but they don't make the front page as often.

As such, these charts are geared towards the United States for Earth-level rankings. (Yes, this is for my Marvel Reboot project; it could just as easily be adapted for Star Wars. A lot of it is based off the tables in Traveller: Interstellar Wars.)

Administrative Rank
18 - Leader of a first-tier interstellar empire (Kree, Skrull, Shi'ar Empires)
17 - Leader of a second-tier interstellar empire (Rigellian Empire)
16 - Leader of a third-tier interstellar empire; Leader of an over-sector (up to a dozen sectors of an interstellar empire) ...

I just realized one problem you've got there.

By RAW, Rank structures apply within an integrated heirarchy. So leaders of different independent empires will not actually be in a Rank relationship toward eachother.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Figleaf23

Semi-relevant digression: Note that I am not expressing support for the idea of members of the judiciary or legislative assemblies having actual rank in a theoretical unified bureaucracy. In truth, I don't believe that represents the reality of 21st century democracies, as discussed here.

I based that off of text in Traveller: Interstellar Wars which indicated that people such as Senators and Supreme Court Justices would have effective Ranks 2 levels below the leader of the country.

I'm starting to agree that 18 ranks seems a bit too much (even though that's what T:IW gives the head of the Vilani Empire), but I don't think 8 ranks is enough for an interstellar empire - it's just too big for that few ranks. T:IW places the head of the United Nations (head of a planetary government) at Rank 12, with the US President one step below that (Rank 11).

If we split the difference between the standard top-off of Rank 8 (which while recommended is not a hard and fast rule) and the current Rank 18, that leaves the head of an interstellar empire as Rank 13. In this case, head of a sector would be 12, stellar system 11, planet 10, nation-state 9... what would be the breakdown from there?

(Oh, and the Shi'ar/Kree/Skrull/whatever-else-there-is emperor/empress would also effectively have Status 8, but that's Status, not Rank.)

[cosmicfish]

I agree both that 8 levels is too little for an interstellar setting, and that 18 levels is too much. I also think there is just a limit to how much influence one's rank can have, and that realistically that there should probably be a maximum rank effect - perhaps a maximum of 6 or 8, so that the astonishingly influential are more or less equal in the eyes of mere peasants and mayors.

As others have noted, you should try to base the rank on the level of authority it commands - doesn't really matter the exact system, as long as it is consistent. You can use a "Marginal Rank" perk to portray partial levels that allow 1st-tier Emperors to lord it over those 2nd-tier upstarts.

I would also be very wary of your PD's - does the Chicago Police Chief really have more authority than the New York Police Chief just because they use a more involved rank structure? And does he rank equivalently to a Senator or Fleet Admiral - I ask because he pays the same points that they do! Again, think in terms of authority and resources - even a big city police chief is relatively limited compared to heads of state.