BNW Power Ranking Chart

Steve's Handy-Dandy BNW Power Rating Rank Chart

Ever wonder if Delta A could defeat Delta B? How those six Deltas would do at taking on those other six Deltas? Well, you're probably out of luck. There's really no way to objectively balance, say, a Hacker against a Goliath. Different powers in different circumstances could make one or the other more powerful.

But...what the heck, I'm going to give it a try. What I'm going to do is try to compare all of the existing Power Packages on a 1-10 scale of usefulness, versatility, etc. in "general" conditions. I'm proceeding on the assumption that they have all the basic Tricks relevant to their power that are published in their sourcebooks. If you or I come up with other Tricks that boost their usefulness, you'll have to adjust accordingly.

I have excluded the Bargainer and Gadgeteer Delta powers because they are just too variable in effect, and to some degree they can potentially overlap with other Power Packages. If a Bargainer is using his Goliath Totem, rank him as a Goliath. If the Gadgeteer is using power armor, average out the Tough and Blaster (or whatever) rankings. And so on.

With Glory Days we have at least two power packages that are locale-specific. I have given them two ratings: one for their usefulness in their locale, and one outside of it. This whole thing is purely subjective. You can e-mail me and try to argue that someone should have a much higher or lower rating. Probably won't do much good, though. And any power package can get a 10 rating if you build your campaign around it.

Power Rating Explanation

Blaster 10 Top of the line - you get a darn good offensive ability, armor and no "obvious" stuff.

Charger 10 A Blaster with a little less control.

Covenant 9 Highly versatile and powerful, yet subtle. Careful preparation should make up for the lag time between powers.

Paralyzer 8 Non-fatal power (although you can take advantage of their paralysis to make it fatal), and not necessarily obvious to anyone else as to who the Paralyzer is. Both decent combat and covert uses.

Scrapper 8 Strength bonus, regenerative ability, and armor, with no "obvious" stuff.

Teleporter 8 Good movement ability and some decent combat ability.

Bouncer 7 A good all-rounder with bonuses to Speed/Initiative, Pace, and Strength. Subtle until cut loose, and some interesting Tricks.

Communicator 7 The unlimited (world-wide!) range is great, and knocks it up a rating point. A combat-oriented Trick helps kick it up another point.

Genius 7 Not a combat type unless you and your Guide get creative with Tactics. But the sheer number of skills he gets +5 to make up for it. A very "free-form" kinda Delta, though, and more then any other how good he is will depend on how much of a break your Guide gives you.

Gunner 7 Yeah, he's another "+5 skill" guy, but the +5 to initiative, and the commonality of guns in either setting is useful. Pierce Armor is good as well.

Phaser 7 Good stealth, minor combat ability, not very obvious. The quirk doesn't seem to kick in too much, except when you're dealing with energy-projecting types or your Guide is feeling sadistic.

Snuffer 7 The great balancer. Trumps pretty much everything and the bonus on the Spirit roll helps.

Telekinetic 7 So vague that you can potentially abuse the heck out of it. Not only lets you turn Smarts into both an attack skill and damage, but you can do a lot of sneaky stuff with cutting off carotid arteries, throwing switches, preventing villains from activating those death traps, breaking wires, opening doors...the possibilities are endless.

Tough 7 Cool - throw yourself around and don't worry about things. Healing and Armor combined. And an offensive trick as well. The package doesn't do much out of combat, but it's still nice to have options.

Booster 6 Not too scary by itself, but stacks up to make some god-awful combos for other Deltas. Want to know what Alphas will be like? Boost one of your buddies. Then figure Alphas will have all their abilities that tough.

Changeling 6 Pretty good power, but a few too many limitations to rank it really up there. Not a lot of combat use, but excellent in a more sneaky campaign.

Charmer 6 Obviously not that good in a fight, although at least it has a combat option. But the +10 helps to make up for the general blandness of a +Skill package.

Doubler 6 The main advantage is in the tricks. An interesting combination of combat enhancement and a few sneaky subtler tricks in with it.

Fortunate 6 Fairly subtle, yet deceptively powerful. The "penalty" really isn't as long as you're careful in character creation and make sure you have a decent Spirit. Get a big gun and learn a few Skills at decent levels, and go at it.

Freezer 6 The Quirk isn't too handicapping. You need Freeze Creature to do something impressive, but the minor abilities aren't too bad.

Goliath 6 Unstoppable, but very obvious. Would be a 10, but of course he's going to be spotted anywhere he goes.

Screamer 6 As subtle as a Hot Shot, but I suppose you could do something with that glass-shattering trick.

Speedster 6 Versatile in combat, but otherwise real obvious. Cool Tricks.

Stretch 6 Part Tough and part Changeling (??). Some decent combat abilities and a bit of covert as well. Main problem it's kinda obvious unless you rein it in...but where's the fun in that?

Timetripper 6 I'm tempted to rank it a point lower just because it's so darn annoying. Resetting combat is a pain! Some very nice covert applications, though, and a good test of how ingenious a player can get.

Werebear 6 Much better then Wereshark. Size 9! Did I mention, Size 9! And the Quirks are a bit more survivable. Size 9! Okay, not very subtle in fighting form, but who cares? Size 9!

Copycat 5 Of course he's in the middle. His versatility balances out for the various small limitations imposed on the power.

Defender 5 More of a partner-type than anything, so a little hard to measure. Mostly (surprise!) defensive, but with a little offensive ability, and not very subtle.

Flyer 5 Okay, you can fly - now what? Oddly a little inferior to the Speedster package (a Speedster gets +100 Pace despite being confined to running?), but that's what's published.

Gasser 5 Good combat ability, but not particularly subtle and that's all he does. No other applications other than gassing people. Gas 'em one at a time, gas 'em in an area effect, but gas 'em is what you do.

Healer 5 As exciting as you want to make it for a non-"super" Delta. And sure speeds up play time as you don't have to sit around waiting to heal. Kinda like a D&D Cleric - no one wants to play it, but you can't afford to go without.

Hot Shot 5 Oooh, I set people on fire! Not much subtlety or versatility there.

Poisoner 5 The rules are a little vague for my tastes (can you make more than one poison?), and requires you get close-up and personal.

Shrinker 5 Decent ability with some good Stealth capability and a decent combat option. But don't get hit at Size 1!

Sneak 5 So he can gets five skill levels of Stealth and a built-in pair of IR goggles. That's nice, but not that overwhelming.

Werewolf 5 A little less powerful than the Werebear, but otherwise not really much of a difference.

Dessicator 4 Not bad, but you need the Dessicate Creature trick to really do anything other then make beef jerky. And then it's kinda overkill and unsubtle at that.

Hacker 4 Yeah, it's great for computers, but then what? Has a lot of uses if you and your Guide get creative and depending on the campaign type, but still...

Lazarus 4 You can't die, so now what? Recovery is sllloooowww (1 wound per 12 hours, and can't revive until you're fully healed). Kinda cool, but not really either good for combat or stealth.

Watcher 4 Without the Microwave Vision would be pretty much useless. That gives it a little more versatility and kicks its rating up a bit. Otherwise how useful is, say, Telescopic Vision really going to be...?

Ace 3 Unless you're planning a lot of chases, forget it. Like with Sneak, +5 in a skill is pretty low-end of the Delta scale. He gets a +5 in a lot of stuff, but how many different types of vehicles is he really going to use?

Aquarian 3 A locale-specific power, and you don't even get a minor Strength boost to handle the crushing depths thing. If you're a fan of Aquaman, you'll like this.

Bomber 3 He's a damage machine. Obvious as all get-out, that's all he does, and everything blows up on him when he goes. Potentially as much danger to his comrades as to his opponents. Basically NPC fodder, but cool NPC fodder.

Hound 3 Okay in the right setting, but basically your opposition is going to be Delta-class anyway and not make any bones about it. In best Deanna Troi voice: "Captain, I sense a Goliath approaching *crunch*"

Interrogator 3 Kinda limited even for a subtler-type campaign, unless you're very, very sneaky. Seems to have a few too many loopholes in the post-Clintonian era of prevarification: nobody gives straight answers, anymore.

Ratmaster 3 A decent "covert" power, but the lack of a telepathic element means you have to sit there and try to get information out of an animal-intelligence rat.

Smuggler 3 The enhanced lying ability is okay. But the other power...yuuuckk.

Jungler 2/9 Really cool in its native setting, but unless you hang out in a greenhouse forget everything but the animal-communication/scaring stuff. And even then...ehhh.

Wereshark 2 A few too many Quirks, Size 9! or not. Not that there's nothing wrong with balancing a great power with Quirks, but these are Quirks that are going to seriously limit either your Guide's campaign, or your PC's place in it.

Dunemaster 1/7 Even in its native terrain, it's basically a movement power. A lot of movement powers, but movement powers nonetheless. In a normal urban modern-day setting...forget it.

Forger 1 As someone else noted, "So, I can write someone else's name real well?!?". Certainly it has its uses (what skill doesn't as long as you build accordingly), but it's got a pretty low cost-to-effectiveness

Translator 1 Even in a subtle-type campaign, why bother? Just so you can speak a language that no one else in your group can speak. Oohhh...

Back to my Primary Brave New World Page

Power	Rating	Explanation
Blaster	10	Top of the line - you get a darn good offensive ability, armor and no "obvious" stuff.
Charger	10	A Blaster with a little less control.
Covenant	9	Highly versatile and powerful, yet subtle. Careful preparation should make up for the lag time between powers.
Paralyzer	8	Non-fatal power (although you can take advantage of their paralysis to make it fatal), and not necessarily obvious to anyone else as to who the Paralyzer is. Both decent combat and covert uses.
Scrapper	8	Strength bonus, regenerative ability, and armor, with no "obvious" stuff.
Teleporter	8	Good movement ability and some decent combat ability.
Bouncer	7	A good all-rounder with bonuses to Speed/Initiative, Pace, and Strength. Subtle until cut loose, and some interesting Tricks.
Communicator	7	The unlimited (world-wide!) range is great, and knocks it up a rating point. A combat-oriented Trick helps kick it up another point.
Genius	7	Not a combat type unless you and your Guide get creative with Tactics. But the sheer number of skills he gets +5 to make up for it. A very "free-form" kinda Delta, though, and more then any other how good he is will depend on how much of a break your Guide gives you.
Gunner	7	Yeah, he's another "+5 skill" guy, but the +5 to initiative, and the commonality of guns in either setting is useful. Pierce Armor is good as well.
Phaser	7	Good stealth, minor combat ability, not very obvious. The quirk doesn't seem to kick in too much, except when you're dealing with energy-projecting types or your Guide is feeling sadistic.
Snuffer	7	The great balancer. Trumps pretty much everything and the bonus on the Spirit roll helps.
Telekinetic	7	So vague that you can potentially abuse the heck out of it. Not only lets you turn Smarts into both an attack skill and damage, but you can do a lot of sneaky stuff with cutting off carotid arteries, throwing switches, preventing villains from activating those death traps, breaking wires, opening doors...the possibilities are endless.
Tough	7	Cool - throw yourself around and don't worry about things. Healing and Armor combined. And an offensive trick as well. The package doesn't do much out of combat, but it's still nice to have options.
Booster	6	Not too scary by itself, but stacks up to make some god-awful combos for other Deltas. Want to know what Alphas will be like? Boost one of your buddies. Then figure Alphas will have all their abilities that tough.
Changeling	6	Pretty good power, but a few too many limitations to rank it really up there. Not a lot of combat use, but excellent in a more sneaky campaign.
Charmer	6	Obviously not that good in a fight, although at least it has a combat option. But the +10 helps to make up for the general blandness of a +Skill package.
Doubler	6	The main advantage is in the tricks. An interesting combination of combat enhancement and a few sneaky subtler tricks in with it.
Fortunate	6	Fairly subtle, yet deceptively powerful. The "penalty" really isn't as long as you're careful in character creation and make sure you have a decent Spirit. Get a big gun and learn a few Skills at decent levels, and go at it.
Freezer	6	The Quirk isn't too handicapping. You need Freeze Creature to do something impressive, but the minor abilities aren't too bad.
Goliath	6	Unstoppable, but very obvious. Would be a 10, but of course he's going to be spotted anywhere he goes.
Screamer	6	As subtle as a Hot Shot, but I suppose you could do something with that glass-shattering trick.
Speedster	6	Versatile in combat, but otherwise real obvious. Cool Tricks.
Stretch	6	Part Tough and part Changeling (??). Some decent combat abilities and a bit of covert as well. Main problem it's kinda obvious unless you rein it in...but where's the fun in that?
Timetripper	6	I'm tempted to rank it a point lower just because it's so darn annoying. Resetting combat is a pain! Some very nice covert applications, though, and a good test of how ingenious a player can get.
Werebear	6	Much better then Wereshark. Size 9! Did I mention, Size 9! And the Quirks are a bit more survivable. Size 9! Okay, not very subtle in fighting form, but who cares? Size 9!
Copycat	5	Of course he's in the middle. His versatility balances out for the various small limitations imposed on the power.
Defender	5	More of a partner-type than anything, so a little hard to measure. Mostly (surprise!) defensive, but with a little offensive ability, and not very subtle.
Flyer	5	Okay, you can fly - now what? Oddly a little inferior to the Speedster package (a Speedster gets +100 Pace despite being confined to running?), but that's what's published.
Gasser	5	Good combat ability, but not particularly subtle and that's all he does. No other applications other than gassing people. Gas 'em one at a time, gas 'em in an area effect, but gas 'em is what you do.
Healer	5	As exciting as you want to make it for a non-"super" Delta. And sure speeds up play time as you don't have to sit around waiting to heal. Kinda like a D&D Cleric - no one wants to play it, but you can't afford to go without.
Hot Shot	5	Oooh, I set people on fire! Not much subtlety or versatility there.
Poisoner	5	The rules are a little vague for my tastes (can you make more than one poison?), and requires you get close-up and personal.
Shrinker	5	Decent ability with some good Stealth capability and a decent combat option. But don't get hit at Size 1!
Sneak	5	So he can gets five skill levels of Stealth and a built-in pair of IR goggles. That's nice, but not that overwhelming.
Werewolf	5	A little less powerful than the Werebear, but otherwise not really much of a difference.
Dessicator	4	Not bad, but you need the Dessicate Creature trick to really do anything other then make beef jerky. And then it's kinda overkill and unsubtle at that.
Hacker	4	Yeah, it's great for computers, but then what? Has a lot of uses if you and your Guide get creative and depending on the campaign type, but still...
Lazarus	4	You can't die, so now what? Recovery is sllloooowww (1 wound per 12 hours, and can't revive until you're fully healed). Kinda cool, but not really either good for combat or stealth.
Watcher	4	Without the Microwave Vision would be pretty much useless. That gives it a little more versatility and kicks its rating up a bit. Otherwise how useful is, say, Telescopic Vision really going to be...?
Ace	3	Unless you're planning a lot of chases, forget it. Like with Sneak, +5 in a skill is pretty low-end of the Delta scale. He gets a +5 in a lot of stuff, but how many different types of vehicles is he really going to use?
Aquarian	3	A locale-specific power, and you don't even get a minor Strength boost to handle the crushing depths thing. If you're a fan of Aquaman, you'll like this.
Bomber	3	He's a damage machine. Obvious as all get-out, that's all he does, and everything blows up on him when he goes. Potentially as much danger to his comrades as to his opponents. Basically NPC fodder, but cool NPC fodder.
Hound	3	Okay in the right setting, but basically your opposition is going to be Delta-class anyway and not make any bones about it. In best Deanna Troi voice: "Captain, I sense a Goliath approaching crunch"
Interrogator	3	Kinda limited even for a subtler-type campaign, unless you're very, very sneaky. Seems to have a few too many loopholes in the post-Clintonian era of prevarification: nobody gives straight answers, anymore.
Ratmaster	3	A decent "covert" power, but the lack of a telepathic element means you have to sit there and try to get information out of an animal-intelligence rat.
Smuggler	3	The enhanced lying ability is okay. But the other power...yuuuckk.
Jungler	2/9	Really cool in its native setting, but unless you hang out in a greenhouse forget everything but the animal-communication/scaring stuff. And even then...ehhh.
Wereshark	2	A few too many Quirks, Size 9! or not. Not that there's nothing wrong with balancing a great power with Quirks, but these are Quirks that are going to seriously limit either your Guide's campaign, or your PC's place in it.
Dunemaster	1/7	Even in its native terrain, it's basically a movement power. A lot of movement powers, but movement powers nonetheless. In a normal urban modern-day setting...forget it.
Forger	1	As someone else noted, "So, I can write someone else's name real well?!?". Certainly it has its uses (what skill doesn't as long as you build accordingly), but it's got a pretty low cost-to-effectiveness
Translator	1	Even in a subtle-type campaign, why bother? Just so you can speak a language that no one else in your group can speak. Oohhh...