Objectklassen - SCP Foundation (2023)

All anomalous objects, entities and phenomena that require special containment procedures are given the object class. An object class is a partstandard SCP templateand serves as a rough indication of how difficult it is to retain the item. Object classes within space are intended to identify containment needs, research priorities, budgets, and other considerations. The class of an SCP object is determined by several factors, but the most important factors are its weight and the purpose of its containment.

These are the most common object classes used in SCP articles and make up the bulk of the objects.

Sef

Safe-class SCPs are deviations that can be easily and safely contained. This is often because the SCP has been so well researched by the Foundation that containment does not require significant resources, or that anomalies require a specific, deliberate activation or trigger. However, classifying SCP as safe does not mean that handling it or activating it does not pose a threat.

Click for a full list of safe learning articles on the sitehere.

Euclid

Euclid-class SCPs are anomalies that require more resources to be fully contained or where containment is not always reliable. This is usually because SCP is poorly understood or inherently unpredictable. Euclid is the object class with the largest scope, and SCP is generally certain to be that class if it cannot easily fit into one of the other standard object classes.

On the other hand, every SCP isautonomousfromto changeit is generally classified as Euclidean, due to the inherent unpredictability of an object that can act or think independently.

Click for a full list of Euclid class articles on the sitehere.

Doubt

Keter-class SCPs are extremely difficult anomalies to consistently or reliably control, with containment procedures that are often extensive and complex. The Foundation is often unable to properly control these SCPs due to lack of thorough knowledge of the anomaly or lack of technology to adequately contain or suppress it. Keter SCP does not mean that SCP is dangerous, just that it is simply too difficult or expensive to master.

Click for a complete list of Keter class articles on the websitehere.

Thaumiel

Thaumiel-class SCPs are anomalies used by the Foundation specifically to contain other SCPs. Even the very existence of Thaumiel-class facilities resides at the highest levels of the Foundation, and their locations, functions, and current status are known to few Foundation personnel outside of the O5 council.

Click for a complete list of Thaumiel class articles on the sitehere.

neutralized

Neutralized SCPs are anomalies that are no longer abnormal because they have been destroyed or disabled on purpose or by accident.

For a complete list of neutralized class articles on the website, click herehere.

Handicapped

Deactivated SCPs are anomalies that have been deliberately destroyed or stripped of their anomalous properties by the SCP Foundation. Since the Foundation generally attempts to contain, rather than neutralize, anomalies, this category of facility is only used when it is not possible to fully control the anomaly, or when excessive resources must be expended to correct the anomaly. In order to avoid unnecessary losses, the withdrawal of the deviation requires the approval of a higher body, such as the O5 Council, the Ethics Committee orDismantling department.

Click for a complete list of deactivated articles on the sitehere.

Apoliom

Apollyon-class SCPs are uncontrolled anomalies that must immediately breach a containment system or other similar scenario. Such anomalies are usually related to global threats or some sort of K-class scenario and require a massive effort from the Foundation to deal with.

For a complete list of Apollyon class articles on the website, clickhere.

arhont

Archon-class SCPs are anomalies that can theoretically be controlled, but for some reason are best left unattended. Archon SCPs may be part of a consensus reality that is difficult to fully control or may have harmful effects if placed in a confined space. These SCPs are not uncontrolled; the defining characteristic of the class is that the Foundation chooses not to control the anomaly.

Click for a full list of Archon class articles on the sitehere.

The following object classes are subclasses that complement the primary (or earlier) object classification.

Explained

ExplainedSCPs are usually articles about anomalies that have been fully and completely understood to the point where their effects are now explainable by conventional science or phenomena that have been debunked or misidentified as anomalies.

For a complete list of explained teaching articles on the website, clickhere.

In treatment

SCP articles that have not yet been assigned an object class may be marked as Pending. This is used to indicate that the Foundation is actively investigating the anomaly, but there is not yet enough information to provide an object class. This is a conscious decision to emphasize that the story is ongoing, not that the author doesn't know which object class to assign!

Click for a full list of great teaching articles on the sitehere.

Esoteric/narrative lessons

Esoteric object classes, also known as narrative classes, are object classes that do not fall into any of the above sections. These are usually created to advance the story within a particular SCP and are only used once, although some have been used consistently across multiple articles. It is recommended to use one of the standard object classes listed here for most SCPs, and use non-standard object classes only if there is a good reason to justify it in the article.

For a comprehensive list of esoteric object classes and articles that use them, clickhere.

What is a locked box test?
The closed box test is an informal guideline used to determine the most appropriate object class for an object. And in this way:

• If you close it in a box, leave it alone and nothing bad happens, then it probably isSef.
• If you lock it in a box, leave it alone and you're not sure what will happen, it probably doesEuclid.
• If you close it in a box, leave it alone and it escapes easily, then it probably isDoubt.
• How is thatIt isbox, so probably yesThaumiel.
• If you can't put it in a box and it's going to end the world, it probably is.Apoliom.
• If you could have locked it in a box but didn't, it probably is.arhont.

Note that, as a special consideration, something that is autonomous, alive, and/or wise almost always isat leastEuclid's class. That is, if you close a living thing in a box and forget about it, it will eventually suffocate or starve, and that is not a good outcome. Something smart may end up being smart enough to outwit your containment procedures and/or stop cooperating with the Foundation's efforts to contain it, making it more dangerous than it could be.

What if I find an SCP that is the wrong object class?

Object classes are intentionally left vague so as not to limit the author's creative freedom; a rigid and defined class system can hinder an author's ability to write the way they want, and as such, multiple proposals to create better defined systems have been rejected by SCP Wiki staff in the past.

If you come across an SCP article that you think is classified inappropriately, feel free to discuss it and see what other community members think. If you don't like the explanation, you can comment on it and vote on the page.

If SCP is too dangerous, should the facility class be higher?

No, the threat does not actually affect the SCP object class. As reiterated several times above, the subject matter class of an item is based more on the difficulty of retention than the danger it poses. For example, a button that can destroy the entire universe when pressed would be safe, while a cat that randomly switches places with another cat anywhere on Earth would be considered Keter.

I thought we stopped excluding articles? When did that change?

Originally, the Dismissed Objects class was used by the team to place unwanted items deemed to be of low quality on a sort of 'Wall of Shame' instead of simply removing them, keeping them around as examples of what not to do. This involved rewriting the article to describe the "disassembly" of an SCP object, often including avatars of the author exaggerating the destruction of the object. This practice is no longer carried out, partly because those heavy edits by the SCP team are no longer allowed, and partly because the deprecation had a negative effect rather than encouraging better writing. Articles with disabilities,previously mentioned here, have since been removed. seeHistory of the center of the universefor more information about this period in the site's history.

A modern class of scrapped objects, as described inDismantling of the Institutional Center, it is very different. Although the name refers to the original decommissioning process, it is an exploration of the reasons why the SCP Foundation would want to destroy a particular SCP object for pragmatic or ethical reasons, not a mockery of low-quality articles.

What is the difference between the esoteric class and the basic classes listed on this page?

Ultimately, it all comes down to how often the object class is used. While most SCPs are classified as Sigurna, Euclid, or Kether, some articles use a different classification. Although most of them are created for a specific SCP and used only once, the narrative object class can be reused if another author finds it useful. As a general guideline, if you're using an object class that's not on this page, it's worth making sure it's clear what it means in the SCP article, since your reader probably won't know what it means.

Several of the primary object classes listed above, including Apollyon and Archon, were originally considered esoteric, but have been reused often enough to be added to this page. Currently, an object class must be used in 25 SCP articles before it can be tagged and defined in this guide.

If you have more questions about object classes, feel free to ask them in the discussion.