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Power Level, Defined

Power Level is the number (or numbers) we use to compare how much stronger or faster something is than something else. We got the number from the TV show ... the scouters that Frieza's army used came up with numbers that gauged a person's "fighting power" or "power level".

In the show, scouters only read the power of Ki, which is the power that advanced martial artists use (In the Japanese show, they didn't call it Power Level at all, but instead just "Ki."). There are more kinds of power besides Ki, though. You could have Psionic, Magical, or Physical, too. Each means something different for you, and follows its own specific set of rules. It's even possible for a character to have more than one kind of power level.

Most characters currently start with 1,500 PL. If you request for your character to start with some techniques, their worth is taken out of your starting PL by staff (see the Techniques section for details).

Don't try to figure out just what one PL stands for. It could be said that 1 PL is like the ability to lift 25 pounds, but there's so much contradiction about what one PL can do and another can't that you're really better off just realizing that everybody who is competitive has almost godlike fighting powers, and the strength of those powers are compared by how much more or less one is than another. Mortal characters are usually around the 5-10 PL range.

Flavors of Power

The four types of power are Ki, Magic, Psi, and Physical. Each has its pros and cons, and each is balanced with the others. Ki is the power of the spirit and life, used by martial artists. Psi is the power of the mind and willpower, often found in the intellectually advanced. Magic is the power of the arcane and divine, employed by studious mages or by creatures and people who are aligned strongly with the gods. Each power has its own unique configuration, meant for a particular style of play. Physical power, in particular, is custom-made by the player, either in the race application or the character application, and includes mechanical power as well as sheer muscular ability.

There are six kinds of PL numbers, to express different properties of the power of something. It is important to distinguish between them, because they are not the same, and are not always compatible with other types (1 in Strength PL can't be compared with 1 in Speed PL, for instance). A PL number is one of the following:

• Character PL. A number indicating the general abilities of a character or NPC in a particular power type, such as Ki or Psi. Usually, when somebody refers to a person's PL, they are referring to his/her Character PL, or the total of all his/her Character PLs. All other power level numbers are based on these. A "Mortal" PL indicates a PL of a particular type that is less than 50.
  
  
• Strength PL. A number indicating an amount of force with which something is done, usually translated straight to damage in most situations. Works with the same units as Durability PLs, but not the same units as Speed and Detection PLs. When somebody refers to the PL of an attack, they usually mean the Strength PL, often accompanied by the Speed PL.
  
  
• Speed PL. A number indicating how quickly something is moving. Works with the same units as Detection PLs, but not the same units as Strength and Durability PLs.
  
  
• Durability PL. A number indicating the toughness and damage resistance of something. Damage to an object is determined by how the Strength PL of an offense (or Strength PL of a series of offenses) compares to the Durability PL of a defense. When they are equal, hypothetically speaking (though players have some liberty here), the defense crumbles, which in the case of a person means the person falls unconscious or is no longer able to fight. When the Strength is weaker, less severe damage is done, and when it is stronger, the defense is crumbled faster or to greater effect (for a person, incapacitation or death).
  
  
• Detection PL. A number indicating the speed limits of something's senses. When the Speed PL of object A goes beyond object B's Detection PL (eyesight, for example), object A becomes less trackable, and seems to disappear and reappear, making prediction of movement less possible. It should be noted that just because an object can sense and track the movements of something doesn't mean that they can move fast enough to compensate. That is determined by the object's bodily Speed PL, along with the distance factors (i.e. if an attack is coming from far away, there is more time to compensate with dodges and blocks than if it was close).
  
  
• Stamina PL. A number indicating the general level of endurance for a certain power type in a character. Performing any superhuman action drains from the "stamina pool," which for most power types is four times (400%) the Character PL of that type. The amount drained is usually either equal to the damage caused by the action, if it can be determined, or by the "natural charge" of the power type that the action belongs to. For Ki, this is 30%. For Psi, 20%, and for Magic, 60%. Movement is usually not considered for stamina purposes unless the character does an excess of rapid movement. When a character's Stamina PL in a power type wears out, that power type is exhausted and cannot be used. When this is the case for Ki and Physical powers, it usually results in the character passing out, or coming close to passing out.

Tag Requirements

All competitive characters must have their Character PLs clearly displayed in their tags, which means one Character PL for each significant power type they possess. Total PL sums, suppressed/lowered PL counters, and power multiplier counters are optional, but if you do not place them in your tag (with the exception of total PL), you must make these things perfectly clear in your RP, or else your RP partners may choose for themselves.

You may NOT substitute placing your base PLs in your handle-linked webpage for placing them in your tag. Having these items in your tag is not an option for competitive characters.

All numbers should be kept to a minimum of four digits of accuracy at all times. For instance, 12,785,122 may be abbreviated to as small a number as 12.79 million (four digits, rounding up the fifth) but not 12.8 million. All percents and decimals indicated by themselves should be considered portions of a player's particular power level.

Sight Detection

All characters who are not blind or without seeing organs can detect movement with their eyes up to a speed PL equal to the total of all their Character PLs added together. Certain races may change this. Keep in mind, however, that just because your character can see an incoming attack doesn't mean that the character has enough speed to avoid it. Also, a character may not move any faster than he/she can see, or otherwise detect in a similar manner.

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