There are two types of data I can see people collecting.
First, specific information about the limitations of someone's powers: how much weight can a super-strong man lift? How fast can a speedster run? How many ghosts can an astral projector summon?
Good supers might volunteer for testing, because they themselves might not know their limits. However, even they would probably want to control that information. Supervillains are likely to vehemently object to anyone knowing this kind of thing, and might actually hunt you down if you find out!
So, formal testing seems like it would be a pretty limited thing.
However, observational data is much more plausible: shadowy government agents watch super-fights and make notes, and fellow supers share information with their team (and possibly others) about the weak points of their recurring foes. Supervillains might do the same thing, regarding heroes.
Of those groups, the shadowy quasi-governmental group is the most likely to come up with some sort of ranking scale, but even there, very specific information is more useful than categories.
Second, who can destroy the world/a city.
If someone's a potential risk to all life, a walking WMD, you definitely want to put them in a separate category from the people that can 'just' walk through walls or fly.
Actually, that gives me an idea: what if you categorize by the type of threat someone represents?
Overtly destructive powers are one category, security risks (telepathy, walking through walls, dream travel) are another, memetic risks (emotion or thought control and similar) are yet another.
That is, after all, the most pressing information.
First, specific information about the limitations of someone's powers: how much weight can a super-strong man lift? How fast can a speedster run? How many ghosts can an astral projector summon?
Good supers might volunteer for testing, because they themselves might not know their limits. However, even they would probably want to control that information. Supervillains are likely to vehemently object to anyone knowing this kind of thing, and might actually hunt you down if you find out!
So, formal testing seems like it would be a pretty limited thing.
However, observational data is much more plausible: shadowy government agents watch super-fights and make notes, and fellow supers share information with their team (and possibly others) about the weak points of their recurring foes. Supervillains might do the same thing, regarding heroes.
Of those groups, the shadowy quasi-governmental group is the most likely to come up with some sort of ranking scale, but even there, very specific information is more useful than categories.
Second, who can destroy the world/a city.
If someone's a potential risk to all life, a walking WMD, you definitely want to put them in a separate category from the people that can 'just' walk through walls or fly.
Actually, that gives me an idea: what if you categorize by the type of threat someone represents?
Overtly destructive powers are one category, security risks (telepathy, walking through walls, dream travel) are another, memetic risks (emotion or thought control and similar) are yet another.
That is, after all, the most pressing information.
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