Kendall Rosen Scale
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
The Kendall - Rosen Index
The Kendall - Rosen Index (also known as the Kendall-Rosen Scale or the KR Index) is one of the more well known of the so-called "power rankings" in use today.
It was originally proposed in 1947 by Doctor Ian Kendall of Johns Hopkins University and his colleague Doctor David Rosen of the Stanford Research Institute as a means of measuring and classifying emerging mutations among the human population. Since 1986, the KR index has been used to classify the powers and "secondary mutations"of registered mutant superheroes by a wide array of organizations.
Mutation
The power origin of Mutation is the most common of the five modern origins with 36% of all registered superheroes identifying it as their origin and with 54% of all known powered criminals possessing it. Mutations, as we know them today, first appeared in 1938. There are varying theories and hypotheses as to why that is but most agree that the first splitting of the atom - which also occurred in 1938 - has something to do with it.
Most mutants are understood to have a primary and secondary mutations. This is incorrect as most mutants actually suffer from dozens to hundreds of amorphic and neomorphic mutations in their genome. This misunderstanding is due to the KR index's popularity and its use as a means of identifying the physical/chemical and psychic effects of all an individuals mutations.
Scaling of Physical Effects
The first indicator of the index represents a mutation's physical effects on the individual and ranges from A to E.
A - No chemical or physical alterations to the individual's body.
B - Minimal physical or chemical alterations without affecting the individual's daily life. The most common of the B type alterations are rare or unnatural hair color (white before the onset of middle age, blue, green, etc.), abnormal height, unnatural skin tone or coloration, above average body temperature, increased regeneration.
C - Moderate to significant physical alterations that affect the daily life of the individual and have adverse effects on his body. These include extra limbs (wings, tails, extra arms and/or legs), disfigured or abnormal extremities (claws, fangs, frills), unnatural growths (feathers, scales, dense body hair, bone protrusions), and disabilities directly associated with mutations (blindness, muteness, deafness, inability to feel heat and cold).
D - Extreme, ongoing or total genome alteration. The individual suffers most or all the effects of a type C, or has been altered to the point of not being classified as part of the same species as other mutated humans. The most famous natural type D is Captain Mako, most mutants that classify as type D suffered their mutations artificially.
E - The individual might classify as a type A through C but also suffers non biological alterations not related to his psychic indicator. Th most common Type E alterations are metallic or inorganic components (bones, skin, etc.) the production of inorganic matter (non-organic acids, metal that doesn't have a structural function, etc.) and high amounts of energy of non-psychic origin. The Nuclear 90 are the most famous example of natural type E mutants. (Work in Progress, 01-05-2010)
