## Hero, Legend, and staff ranks — agreed direction

| Level | Role and meaning |
| --- | --- |
| 91 | Hero. |
| 92 | Legend. |
| 93 | Lord of a territory: a PG entrusted with an area, with limited architectural authority over that assignment. Holding an area is the basis for this rank. |
| 94 | Architect: a staff role for building and shaping the world, beyond a Lord's limited territorial authority. |
| 95 | Temporary quest master. |
| 96 | Permanent quest master. |
| 97 | Area builder. |
| 98 | Coder. |
| 99 | Permanent staff. |
| 100 | Head of Staff: an annual elected term open to levels 96–99; the holder returns to their previous level afterward. Production-environment access lasts only during the term. |
| 101 | Maat, the divine AI oracle. |

Hero and Legend are distinct from territorial and staff appointments. A level-92 Legend does not gain an area or building authority merely by reaching that level. Receiving an assigned area qualifies a PG for level 93 and its Lord title, unless they already hold a higher rank; a Lord can shape that territory only within defined limits. A level-94 Architect works for the staff; this is a formal staff role, not ordinary membership in a building guild or ownership of a home. Level 97 Area Builders have their own broader area-building role. Exact permissions for each role and the process when a Lord's area assignment ends remain to define.

Level 100 is the annually elected Head of Staff, not another permanent staff grade. A staff member at level 96, 97, 98, or 99 can be lifted to level 100 for the term. Record their previous level when they take office and restore that exact level when the appointment ends, unless they are re-elected. The appointment's production-environment access lasts only for the term. Production access must be tied to the authenticated staff identity and current appointment, and removed when the term ends. Other levels do not gain production access just by being staff. Shod's owner authority remains definitive as described below.

The electorate, vote procedure, exact term dates, and interim vacancies remain to define. The minimum candidate level is 96; the annual vote, temporary nature of level 100, and restoration of the holder's previous level are decided.

**Shod's authority is definitive regardless of displayed rank or whether he is present.** The AI continues to follow his standing directions in his absence. Numeric divine rank does not let another god or Maat overrule that owner authority.

This is the intended new hierarchy. The legacy engine currently defines `MAX_LEVEL` as 100 and uses a different mapping around Hero and immortal levels; changing those values belongs to future implementation and compatibility work. No code changes are requested here.