Writing How do you guys tell your readers your characters' power level?

[DekuKurohi]

Just wanna see people talk about how they show how awesome/powerful/skillful their characters are.

There's a lot of way to tell your audience how strong your characters are and what can they do.

LitRPG stuff. Beating each other up. Etc.

Though more specifically how you told your readers how strong each character are relative to each other since that's more important for story purposes.

I've use Stat System early on but kinda try to not make characters used them anymore and pretend it just doesn't exist. Now I just use other options.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

give them a bounty

 

[Syringe]

Stats, and actually depicting/showcasing/writing how badly they can mess stuff up.

 

[Corty]

I have a clear tier system for mages. It mostly operates like ranking the power their spells have. The same fireball from tier 1 and tier 9 are not the same in power. The first may leave a scorch mark on the wall, but the latter acts like a Tsar Bomb.

But other than that, I don't do stats or anything like that. They face people, and they overcome the challenges with their skills and teamwork. I do not explicitly show strength or tell xyz is this strong and zyx is this strong. It comes out naturally when they get in a fight and how it is going, who is losing or winning as the reader goes through the chapter.

 

[DonHon]

How human their tree's are

 

[APieceOfRock]

"
I closed my eyes in concentration. As if the decades of experience was etched in Ellen’s soul when I merged with her, my body moved. One single slash cut through air like a hot knife through butter.

There was no target. Yet, the might of the slash forced even the rain and thunder outside to be silent for seconds on end."

I guess this falls into the descriptions category. Basically see how much my MC can fuck her surroundings up.

 

[Darkcrow.]

Make him defeat a character whose power level is well known among the readers.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Punching heads off

Fight the biggest boss

Cause property damages.

The number is not there to make me think that the MC is strong, the number is there to show me growth of MC strength.

You can give him 9999 or level 420 or Golden Anal Bead or class Heroic Hero. But if you don't show me how he fucks shit up? No sell.

Ps. Oh shit, this is for writers, not ass-backwards reader like myself. My point still stands, I hate it when writers say "oh, this motherfucker is level 3, MC is level 1. MC bout to make this mfucker his bitch." Don't do that. Don't give an official ranking then shit all over it.

If you must shit all over it, give a good reason. Like how MC is more juiced than downing a pint of cocaine. Like how the mfucker just got prison-showered and is walking with crab legs. Like how MC just blackmailed another level 3 bitch to teamrocket the guy with him or have a bunch of other level 1s to blanket party the mfucker with him.

 

[Rhaps]

I have two ways to tell the power level of my characters.

The first way is a ranking system, which is the unreliable one. There are too many factors to count to make it reliable.

The second way is through my MC, her observation and perception is off the chart, from just a glance she can accurately guess how strong everyone is.

 

[TotallyHuman]

By saying it

 

[Domoviye]

By putting them in various situations and showing how they deal with it.
Sometimes there is a bit of a build up, with people talking about the person, or the person thinking/talking about what they can do. Depends on the story.

I will sometimes do stats, but just relying on them is boring. What does level 50 mean? Who knows.
People saying how cool they are. Is this just hype, pandering, mistaken identity? And why should the reader care what they say, the reader wants to 'see' it.

Just having them beat up things can work. But showing it in detail at least at first lets the reader see how the character uses their power. Are they just yawning as they take a missile to the chest, like Superman? Are they using stealth, surprise and skill to take out the mooks, like Batman? Do they come charging in with supertech, like Iron Man? Cast powerful magic, like Dr. Strange?

For me, it's all about the showing.

For example, in my story Necromancer Unmanned, I had the MC casually raise several hundred zombies and skeletons from a graveyard. The crowd acted very shocked, because it was mentioned earlier that other necromancers could only raise 15 or so of the dead at a time.
The next day he raised an army of about several thousand undead of various types in a few minutes, leaving him exhausted and with blood dripping from his eyes.
It clearly showed what his limits were in a cool and interesting way.

 

[Tsuru]

It very depends on context. Some stuff fit for some specific things some not.

Stat numbers
Number of times spells can be cast
Fast cast speed
Aiming
Strength with a slash
Stealth
Body strength

..........After re-reading your OP
You want comparison between each huh?
...hm.....

First thing first, a narrator would break immersion so i wont support this idea. Unless you focus on breaking 4th wall with the comedy.
In fact, there isnt a need AT ALL to explain which is stronger and weaker.
Because the reader themselves will think about it and get their own conclusion.
Also the more you make the reader invested in your story, the more successful it is.
Just like nowadays animes are making colors more colorful like a fairytales. To make people forget reality hence your brain immerse in it completely.

Also readers probably dislike if you tell them directly (human rebellious psychology).

Because if you wrote well (without "unreliable lying narrator" tag), you basically already detailed all the strengths and probably weaknesses of the characters.
And reader can know that this guy or this one beat the certain enemy easily.

But its also possible your characters got secret hole cards, like a explosive mana bomb in the bag or something. In this case, ITS EVEN BETTER because it give a unpredictable feeling = "what other hole cards does this character got ?" and reader can't guess his true strength AND CRAVE to see the fights or hole cards and keep you reading to see more of what s/he can do. Its like this old mangas (Neuro detective / Bleach / OnePunch), they pull out of "Number 71 technique/item". And you wonder "Wow what are the 70 previous ones" and "It is so strong so what are the higher numbers techniques !?"
Does saitama have other "serious techniques" beside the punch / fast punch / movement ?

Analogy conclusion example :
A mage protag. A barbarian emperor (enemy). If you know the mage got infinite mana cheat and teleport. Reader immediately understand the mage is EZ winner. But what if you mention the teleport spell got demerits or the emperor is always protected or hundred of defense talismans on him or got a shadowy-form mage behind him that no one know the identity ?
Mage is stronger but is he really stronger ?

TLDR : No need to explain at all. Because "strength" and "winning" is relative and readers arent dumb. If reader got basic schooling education and normal brain, they already know how strong they are vs others.
Simple logic like a muscled dude can beat the frail person at arm-wrestling OR a kid can kill even a war veteran soldier if he got a gun.
------------Though there are more and more dumb/toxic people (or even 5y olds) on internet lately so simply reply directly or ignore them.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

SCARS.
How many scars both spiritually, mentally, or physically I pile only my MC is how you know how strong they are. The more scars, body parts removed/replaced, augmentations, and in general... AGONY the MC suffers, the stronger he is.

For example, The MC of HKN had been killed twice, had hi arm cut off and reattached, went through absolutely grueling training where he had his bones broken so he could learn how to use magic to reset them under combat conditions, had an entirely new series of mana channels tattooed into his flesh so he could use his mana for effectively, and had his heart destroyed ad replaced with the soul stone of a demon lord.

Then I buried him under a mountain.

And as of the last chapter, he's about to take a suped-up missile directly to the face.

I'm certain the readers know he can take it.