ISC Sentience Scale

The Interplanetary Species Catalog of Sentience is an ISC inventory of the sentience of species. It is based on a scale from 0-XII.

Categories

 * 0 - Non sentient: Given to plants by default, no abillity to think, reason, communicate, or in many cases, move. It is the lowest class of sentience, or lack-there-of.
 * I - Barely sentient: Sentience comparable to "that of a bacterium, or a sophisticated mushroom". The lowest classification for actually sentience, defined as the ability to move and achieve bodily needs, yet lack of self-thought, conscience, or communicative skills.
 * II - Extremely low sentience: Defined as an ability to achieve needs based on inherent instinct, versus reasonable thought. Smaller animals are often given this classification.
 * III - Low sentience: The ability to move and achieve needs based on instinct, though some levels of reasonable thought exist. For example, a frog sees a potential threat, therefore it hops away.
 * IV - Pseudo-sentience: The "impression of sentience, brought on by an apparent sence of self-awarness". This would apply to small animals which act on instinct, but respond to new obstacles with intrest or curiousity.
 * V - Median sentience: Defined as any animal "capable of acting on it's own will, though largely influenced by instinct". Examples would include a deer or wild horse.
 * VI - Borderline-sentient: Species with Class VI sentience are capable of acting on their own accord, uninfluenced by natural instinct. They can communicate, though simply, and have low levels of reasoning. Examples include some species of wild dogs and wild cats, as well as most birds and farm animals.

Sentience

 * VII - Primeval sentience: The lowest classification for sentient species, capable of reason, simple communication. Tools may be used, though sparsely. Examples may be domesticated dogs and cats, and early sentient species (e.g. early humans).
 * VIII - Civil sentience: Animals capable of communication through gesture and/or voice, who practice reason, tool-making, self-thought, and are capable of forming societies and may posess civil skills. At this point, many consider that a species is no longer considered an 'animal'.
 * VIX - Cognitive sentience: "Reason, communication, self-worth, thought, and higher beliefs classify these species". These would include any developing species, not yet capable of high intelligence, such as Alobni.
 * X - Intelligent sentience: Any sentient species with this classification is highly advanced, and is capable of representing intself. It is reasoning, and many sentient species practice religon or philosophy. Humans are most commonly associated with this category.
 * XI - A class awarded to few species, those capable of all previous requirements, plus "a sense of clairvoyance, magical capabilites, or some other supernatural element, making them comparable smarter or more developed than most sentient beings". Examples include Wizards.
 * XII - Very few species are this advanced. They are defined as "going beyond what is nesecary to survive, and possesing gratitous amounts of supernatural capabilities", such as intense longetivity or extreme technological supremecy.