toadking07

This is the very first piece of SCP content toadking07 ever made. Originally posted on the forums, it got passed around the internet for a few years before finally the artist decided to give it a proper page. Thanks for checking out the original.

Field codes were adopted from old hobo signs and thief symbols used to alert others in the know of dangers, marks, and obstacles in the area. Many Foundation task forces have their own set, with symbols unique to their usual assignments. At least one has refined their code to such a degree it's practically a language on its own, able to communicate multiple details with a few strokes added or changed.
It's important to keep in mind that in the field when dealing with anomalies, we never know exactly what will have to be dealt with. Reality benders and paranatural phenomena turn the chaos of entering a hostile environment inside out and upside down. Every week I read reports of teams sent on routine exploration missions only for them to wander into alternate realities, houses with warped space-time and death machines built by madmen and anartists.
Contact with command will be lost. Technology will fail. Rooms will shift. Teams will be split up. Imposters will try to pass as teammates. To not be prepared for the unexpected is suicidal and has lead to the deaths of more men and women than we have any right to forget.
When choosing symbols and what they represent, it is important for teams to agree upon their meaning together and to keep the designs simple. A stick figure with an X over its face. Two circles next to each other with a line connecting them. A half-circle ending in two parallel lines. Signs should be easy to draw in as few strokes as possible under stressful circumstances. Whether drawn in chalk, marker or blood. You may need to draw it before sprinting out of the room or with your one remaining hand.
There is no central database of field codes. It is considered best practice for teams to come up with their own symbols and to change the designs as time goes on. A lot of rookies like to point out the "symbols have been compromised," sign being the scariest to see, right along with, "do not be taken alive." While there are threats that can reach into the mind and glean the meaning of the symbols, those are few and far between. You face something like that, you're already fucked more ways to Sunday.
Most anomalies and hostile environments don't have that level of intelligence or ability. Some don't even register us as sentient beings. We're nothing more than food or material to them. Even a sentient skip watching from the shadows will be hardpressed to see a symbol and correctly assume the meaning left behind. At best they might copy what they see drawn, but without the proper understanding of the meaning, it can be easy enough to spot when a copycat is trying to sow confusion.
Signs for cleared rooms, staying quiet, strange phenomena can have wide application. The, "do not follow the little girl," symbol is a bit of a tongue in cheek joke about how many creepy little girls seem to hang out in abandoned mansions, laughing from the shadows and asking people to play with them. In actuality, the symbol is more properly explained as, "do not follow the obvious bait." Predatory anomalies often use humans or the pretense of a human in distress to lure personnel into dangerous situations and away from the main group. If someone seems out of place or is too conveniently found, there's a good chance you're walking into a trap.
Attached below is a set of codes for use as a reference by teams. While every potential threat and possible scenario can't be planned for and expressed with a few lines, taking the time to draw up shorthand for expected anomalies or common obstacles in the field can save lives. Established ahead of time, field codes bring a strategical advantage in otherwise overwhelming hostile environments.