How to rank adventurer.

[NotaNuffian]

I think I am always gobsmacked by how standards are standard.

Normally it is by alphabetical like school grades cuz Asian countries. F, D, C, B, A and then it is S, SS and SSS.

Or like how currently games rank their players. Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Mithril and Adamantium.

Isn't there any better version of grading system out there? Color code it like the chinese (天地玄黄)? Number based like levels? Level 1 to all the way to BS land?

Why is there a definite cap? I understand this is like nobility and royalty rule, where the head is established and then the bottom ranks get shit out.

I also understand why adventurers don't use army style because it is army style.

But have you seen an interesting version of adventurer ranking? I had seen odd looking cultivation styles and naming, but none of those efforts had been done to adventurer ranking.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

 

[Pixytokisaki14]

How about take inspiration on how demon slayer ranks it's, well, demon slayers.

Maybe choose a system and a language and translate it. There are literally hundreds of languages to choose from, and I think a good language to start on is latin. Plus, it's a good lil Easter egg to the people who actually speak the language you had chosen.

Like i sometimes use german words into naming monsters and some characters.
Ex. Sturmhirsch, literally means storm deer
Or Blitz Bär, lightning Bear

Regarding Army ranks, yes it would be weird calling an adventurer Sargent or Senior Master Sargent.

 

[Nolff]

It's hard to make a proper ranking system other than those we're fond of.

I have one in mind, but I don't think it's well-made. Here it is, sorted from the lowest to the strongest.

-Intern
-Basic
-Intermediate
-Advanced
-Expert
-Elite
-Explorer
-Adventurer

How about take inspiration on how demon slayer ranks it's, well, demon slayers.

Maybe choose a system and a language and translate it. There are literally hundreds of languages to choose from, and I think a good language to start on is latin. Plus, it's a good lil Easter egg to the people who actually speak the language you had chosen.

Like i sometimes use german words into naming monsters and some characters.
Ex. Sturmhirsch, literally means storm deer
Or Blitz Bär, lightning Bear

Regarding Army ranks, yes it would be weird calling an adventurer Sargent or Senior Master Sargent.

"It's Sergeant Campbell, you dirtbag!"

 

[Tempokai]

I like the Dwarf Fortress ranking. It's not grades per se, but about proficiency. For example, dabbling swordsman, proficient magician, grandmaster hammerman and so on, following [proficiency] [profession] rule. Too bad I never seen a webnovel using such ranking, it makes sense compared to S rank (where are 1738288 variations of being strong). As it's said, oversimplification is the bane of the writer, boon of the reader.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Might be just me, but whenever I think of "Adventurer Guilds" I think they should just be a normal medieval guild. Like the Tanners Guild, the Brewers Guild, and so on. They were places where people could learn the craft, teach others, and go when in conflict with clients or business rivals. The purpose of a Guild was for like-jobbed to band together and have some more sway. The "Adventurer Guild" in most stories is just a glorified temp agency with violence monopoly because more violence means more levels means moar powaa... They're like the student council in Japanese high school stories: An immensely powerful organization that rules from the shadows and (ab)uses their powers as they please because why not?

There would be no need to classify anything more than "Apprentice, *Job Name*, Master. Like modern "crafting" professions in Germany. If you want to be a stonemason you start an apprenticeship with someone who already made their "Meisterprüfung" (Mastery exam) and is thus allowed to take apprentices, and then work under them for a certain time to learn the craft. Now you can call yourself a stonemason and could either work as one or try to aim for the mastery exam and then train apprentices yourself.

But I don't see an "Adventurer Guild" working like that unless you give them a central occupation like "armed couriers" or "explorers".

 

[Mikeynohmore]

Yeah, Guilds in a lot of LitRPG stories are often just glorified mercenary companies and don't seem to do anything but fight and explore, with no crafting, politicking, or mercantile venturing to be seen. I'm just reading this stuff and going "why not just make them straight-up mercenaries?"

 

[AnonUnlimited]

I feel like ranking systems in cultivation novels are annoying because I always end up thinking that everyone except the protagonist is canon fodder or needs to be protected.

As far as adventurer ranking system, I mean it’s kind of like the pickleball ranking system of what an adventurer can do etc…

I like the idea of a genin becoming hokage even if he will be a genin forever.

 

[Corty]

Anything outside of D-C-B-A-S is something I will always find overcomplicated and badly designed.

 

[NotaNuffian]

How about take inspiration on how demon slayer ranks it's, well, demon slayers.

... Demon slayer kanji ranking is just chinese ABCs. I am not joking.

It's hard to make a proper ranking system other than those we're fond of.

I have one in mind, but I don't think it's well-made. Here it is, sorted from the lowest to the strongest.

-Intern
-Basic
-Intermediate
-Advanced
-Expert
-Elite
-Explorer
-Adventurer

"It's Sergeant Campbell, you dirtbag!"

Yeah I agree it is too complex.

It is too complex even as a method to power rank. See Mushoku Tensei, anything below a Saint (4th) rank is just a nothing burger.

I like the Dwarf Fortress ranking. It's not grades per se, but about proficiency. For example, dabbling swordsman, proficient magician, grandmaster hammerman and so on, following [proficiency] [profession] rule. Too bad I never seen a webnovel using such ranking, it makes sense compared to S rank (where are 1738288 variations of being strong). As it's said, oversimplification is the bane of the writer, boon of the reader.

It does put some depths.

Might be just me, but whenever I think of "Adventurer Guilds" I think they should just be a normal medieval guild. Like the Tanners Guild, the Brewers Guild, and so on. They were places where people could learn the craft, teach others, and go when in conflict with clients or business rivals. The purpose of a Guild was for like-jobbed to band together and have some more sway. The "Adventurer Guild" in most stories is just a glorified temp agency with violence monopoly because more violence means more levels means moar powaa... They're like the student council in Japanese high school stories: An immensely powerful organization that rules from the shadows and (ab)uses their powers as they please because why not?

There would be no need to classify anything more than "Apprentice, *Job Name*, Master. Like modern "crafting" professions in Germany. If you want to be a stonemason you start an apprenticeship with someone who already made their "Meisterprüfung" (Mastery exam) and is thus allowed to take apprentices, and then work under them for a certain time to learn the craft. Now you can call yourself a stonemason and could either work as one or try to aim for the mastery exam and then train apprentices yourself.

But I don't see an "Adventurer Guild" working like that unless you give them a central occupation like "armed couriers" or "explorers".

Yeah, Guilds in a lot of LitRPG stories are often just glorified mercenary companies and don't seem to do anything but fight and explore, with no crafting, politicking, or mercantile venturing to be seen. I'm just reading this stuff and going "why not just make them straight-up mercenaries?"

Cuz sellling themselves as Sellswords is like whoring. Advertising themselves as Adventurers give them the vibe of a noble cause of venturing into the unknown and sucker in young bloods by saying "hey, we are going for an adventure!" instead of "hey, you are going to be child labors/ underpaid peons!"

I feel like ranking systems in cultivation novels are annoying because I always end up thinking that everyone except the protagonist is canon fodder or needs to be protected.

As far as adventurer ranking system, I mean it’s kind of like the pickleball ranking system of what an adventurer can do etc…

I like the idea of a genin becoming hokage even if he will be a genin forever.

Anything outside of D-C-B-A-S is something I will always find overcomplicated and badly designed.

Might be, but at this point my eyes just bleed over with the ranking.

 

[Corty]

Might be, but at this point my eyes just bleed over with the ranking.

That is why I dislike it. It ruined the ranking en masse.

They no longer mean anything because there will always be a higher, bigger, mightier tier, and people, be they writers or readers, can't gauge power levels and screw it up for everybody, skewing the perception of what each rank should represent.

 

[NotaNuffian]

That is why I dislike it. It ruined the ranking en masse.

They no longer mean anything because there will always be a higher, bigger, mightier tier, and people, be they writers or readers, can't gauge power levels and screw it up for everybody, skewing the perception of what each rank should represent.

I think I hate the alphabetical for its oversimplification AND sometimes authors going beyond the A rank.

I've seen S
I've seen SS
I've seen SSS

And I had even seen SSSS. Or X, or what ever alphabet the author plans to bolt on.

But what makes the transgression from D to C is also unclear most of the times.

What is a D ranked adventurer, what is a C ranked job, why do I for most of the times never see a down rank?

I don't like alphabet style because it is a nothing burger. A jargon if you will.

So at least make the jargon fancy. And Iron to Gold style has slightly been done to death as well. Rainbow spectrum too.

 

[xuduxixi]

“Robert did you ranked up after the quest!?”

“Yes.”

“Let me see! Let me see!”

Robert smugly smiled as he showed his card — the word ADVENTURER was carved in it.

“Four letters are shining!”

“That's right! I'm ADVE now!”

Robert have a dream. It was to light up all the letters in his card and one day become the only one ADVENTURER!

 

[Lloyd]

FF7 soldier 3rd 2nd and 1st class

 

[Kenjona]

“Robert did you ranked up after the quest!?”

“Yes.”

“Let me see! Let me see!”

Robert smugly smiled as he showed his card — the word ADVENTURER was carved in it.

“Four letters are shining!”

“That's right! I'm ADVE now!”

Robert have a dream. It was to light up all the letters in his card and one day become the only one ADVENTURER!

I could see that working.

 

[TuulikkiUnelma]

If I ever write some kind of ranking system for individuals, then I'll probably try to keep it informal and "naturalistic," with something like 'apprentice', 'journeyman', 'master', 'legend' etc., with certain powerful professions/titles given their own weight alongside, like 'saint', 'hero', 'dragonrider', etc.

Like numerical levels, the "S A B C D E F" system feels a bit too modern and videogamey for me.

 

[BouncyCactus]

The best I have seen are those that use the proficiency style of ranking that is a little less concrete and a bit more fluid and dynamic. I forget where, but there is one story where one can have multiple ranks depending on their skill set. It goes something like this, (It is a combat focus guild):

John A.: Journeyman Scout, Journeyman Caravan-Guard, Master Beast-Hunter, etc
Charlie B.: Grandmaster Personal-Guard, Grandmaster Swordman, Master Fieldmarshal

So, it is [proficiency] + [skill/role], which then averages into a High Journeyman guildsman (Average of the three highest ranks) for John A., and would be categorized as such, and Charlie B. as a Low Grandmaster guildsman.

 

[2wordsperminute]

Might be just me, but whenever I think of "Adventurer Guilds" I think they should just be a normal medieval guild. Like the Tanners Guild, the Brewers Guild, and so on. They were places where people could learn the craft, teach others, and go when in conflict with clients or business rivals. The purpose of a Guild was for like-jobbed to band together and have some more sway. The "Adventurer Guild" in most stories is just a glorified temp agency with violence monopoly because more violence means more levels means moar powaa... They're like the student council in Japanese high school stories: An immensely powerful organization that rules from the shadows and (ab)uses their powers as they please because why not?

There would be no need to classify anything more than "Apprentice, *Job Name*, Master. Like modern "crafting" professions in Germany. If you want to be a stonemason you start an apprenticeship with someone who already made their "Meisterprüfung" (Mastery exam) and is thus allowed to take apprentices, and then work under them for a certain time to learn the craft. Now you can call yourself a stonemason and could either work as one or try to aim for the mastery exam and then train apprentices yourself.

But I don't see an "Adventurer Guild" working like that unless you give them a central occupation like "armed couriers" or "explorers".

That's a good idea, might do that.

 

[Nolff]

... Demon slayer kanji ranking is just chinese ABCs. I am not joking.


Yeah I agree it is too complex.

It is too complex even as a method to power rank. See Mushoku Tensei, anything below a Saint (4th) rank is just a nothing burger.


It does put some depths.


Cuz sellling themselves as Sellswords is like whoring. Advertising themselves as Adventurers give them the vibe of a noble cause of venturing into the unknown and sucker in young bloods by saying "hey, we are going for an adventure!" instead of "hey, you are going to be child labors/ underpaid peons!"



Might be, but at this point my eyes just bleed over with the ranking.

And the worst, they're not adventurers.

Adventurers should've been what they are designed for. Just like what Ainz said, "Explore the world."

 

[NotaNuffian]

And the worst, they're not adventurers.

Adventurers should've been what they are designed for. Just like what Ainz said, "Explore the world."

I think initially they did.

But after taking in so many people and left with so few to explore, the adventurers got nothing to adventure on.

Ps. Maybe use Star Moon Sun as a ranking system? But then again it sounds way too mythical.

If I ever write some kind of ranking system for individuals, then I'll probably try to keep it informal and "naturalistic," with something like 'apprentice', 'journeyman', 'master', 'legend' etc., with certain powerful professions/titles given their own weight alongside, like 'saint', 'hero', 'dragonrider', etc.

Like numerical levels, the "S A B C D E F" system feels a bit too modern and videogamey for me.

You have a modern audience and that is an issue, either you choose to fluff them with fancy names and risk alienating them or simplify and risk dropping the immersion.