Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-25618639-20150426193759/@comment-97.117.75.212-20180117104042

Rather than having a strict scale, I'd recommend generalizing it more. For example, a race that is capable of utilizing all the energy on the planet, but not actively using it would be tier one. A race that is capable of utilizing all energy in a solar system but not actively using it would be tier two and exedra. The Tyranids hive mind is vastly intelligent and if it decided "Hey, Organic materials will only get us so far, its time to use other energy sources as well" it would not be difficult for it to multiple galaxies of its energy sources, as it has done so several times before with purely biomass. I would rank the tyranids as an mid-early rank 3, as the tyranids are not universe spanning, but they are presumably present in multiple galaxies or have been in multiple galaxies, and if they so chose, they could use all the energy in them as they are brutally efficient.

The Eldar I'd say were once early rank 3 but were reduced to late rank 2 after Slaanesh was born and are now forced onto their craft world's.

The orks......aren't even rank one as they have no innovation and all their tech comes from other beings.

I'd say the Tau are late rank 1, as they possess multiple systems in their empire, but don't quite possess the tech level or resource base to make full use of all of them.

The Necrons and the C'tan....I'd say they are early rank 3 as C'tan possess the ability to eat energy and actively ate stars, however were not universe spanning. However, in the grand scheme of things, it is likely that C'tan-like energy beings exist in other galaxies as well. I rank these two together as they are essentially in the same faction.

The Imperium....I'd say at its height in the Dark age of technology was late rank two, then regressed until the time prior to the Horus Heresy where it sat mat the middle of rank two as it didn't quite possess the ability to control all the energy in nearly as many star systems as before, but was certainly still powerful. And in the 41st millennium, I'd say the technology has regressed until early rank two. The Imperium possesses a massive resource and industrial base, but not the technological level to make effective use of it.

Chaos well....if were talking purely Heretics, then late stage 1, as they possess neither the industrial base nor technological level, as well as the fact that all their technology came from Imperial hands.

Now chaos gods...This is tricky, as the Immaterium is a place where reality just doesn't...function. On the same note however, if you consider a soul to be pure energy (c'tan liked them more than suns, meaning souls contain massive amounts of pure energy) and the Immaterium being the realm of souls, and the chaos gods being born from the Immateriu, that would make entities of pure energy. I believe chaos gods to be late rank 3, however they only operate in the Immaterium. If we are purely gauging them on the amount of energy they control and on how wide of a scale they gain it from, they are able to gain energy from all soul possessing life in a galaxy (assuming the realm of souls being broken is only in the Milky Way and the warp doesn't exist in other parts of the universe, as if it did, they'd be classified as rank 4, because they would receive energy from all life in the universe. The fact that only 4 chaos gods exist seems to be a good idea that it is isolated to the milky way, as if there was even just one god created in each galaxy, there'd be millions) they are ranked as late rank 3, but only in Immaterium terms. If they were brought to the Materium, they just don't have the technological might to be at anything above late rank 1, but Tzeentch being as intelligent as he is might be able to bring them to early rank 2.