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Preface for TheeHive Bees: I promised this safety plan quite some time ago. It has turned into quite the arduous, yet rewarding and insightful, task. The following document is best suited for BabyBees, and I will post it there as soon as possible after posting here; however, I hope that it will contain valuable information for most, if not all, bees. I, myself, am by no means an expert bee (although I possess a good deal of chemical knowledge in the ordinary sense, especially in regard to safety, at this point, and have a lot of experience in professional labs, mostly quantitative). As a result, I would like this to be a working document, and as such, I will consider any and all edits that other bees recommend. Please comment or DM any input or questions you may have. I am greatly indebted to all of you who have all ready provided assistance, and apologize if I missed any of your previous recommendations.
*I especially need some assistance with waste disposal (last section) information. I only know about professional waste disposal, which we obviously want to avoid when possible.
Table of Contents:
I. Introduction
II. Basic Laboratory Safety Rules
III. Dress, Preparation, and PPE for Lab Work
A. Basic Considerations
B. PPE
C. Lab Setup
D. Behavior and Technique
IV. Chemical Safety
A. SDS
B. Chemical Labeling
C. Chemical Storage
D. Bonding and Grounding
E. Peroxide Forming Molecules and Shelf Lives
V. Labware Safety
A. Glassware
B. Support
C. Tubing
D. Heat
E. Electricity
VI. Reaction Safety
A. Fume Hoods
B. Additional Tips
VII. Emergency Procedures
A. Emergency Shower and Eyewash Stations
B. Fire Extinguishers
C. Fire Blankets
D. Spills
E. First Aid
VIII. Post-Procedure Protocols
A. Personal Hygiene
B. Facility Hygiene
C. Waste Disposal
____________________________________________________________________________
II. Basic Laboratory Safety Rules:

• Never work alone, and alert others on the premises that you are about to conduct lab work. If you are blinded, set on fire, burnt, frightened, accidentally intoxicated, experience a health emergency, or are otherwise put in danger, you may be unable to remedy the situation alone, which could lead to death, permanent blindness, disfigurement, etc. Be sure that you and/or another has the ability to call 911.
• Wear proper PPE at all times and avoid other hazardous dress (see the section on PPE below).
• Always prepare for the worst!! Wear the PPE and take the precautions that will protect against the worst case scenario given the chemicals and processes you work with.
• Never eat, drink, chew gum, or have any unnecessary items in the lab in case of contamination (of the items, self, or the experiment).
• Keep the lab clean, sanitary, and organized.
• Never allow walkways or exits to become obstructed.
• Thoroughly study the SDS for each chemical you work with.
• Have emergency procedures in place, including fire extinguishers, fire blankets, first aid, spill kits, emergency showers, and eyewash station.
• Understand peroxide-forming chemicals, and evaluate shelf-lives of materials.
• Bond and ground flammable and combustible fluids.
• Use a fume hood.
• Store and handle reagents properly.
• Add acids and bases to water, never vice-versa.
• Never look into the end of any glassware wherein a reaction is taking place.

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III. Dress, Preparation, and PPE for Lab Work
A. Basic Considerations:
Before we apply PPE, there are some basic precautions that must be taken in terms of dress and personal hygiene.
Do NOT:

• Wear loose fitting clothing that may knock things over, catch fire, or soak up chemicals.
• Wear jewelry for the above reasons. Metals in jewelry may also react with certain chemicals.
• Unnecessarily expose any skin.
• Wear contact lenses, unless full, non-ventilated goggles are also worn.

Do:

• Maintain personal hygiene to avoid contamination.
• Wear all proper PPE, especially gloves and goggles at all times.
• Wash hands and change gloves as frequently as possible.
• Wear closed-toe, thick, shoes.
• Wear tight-fitting clothing that covers as much skin as possible- long sleeves, long pants, closed shirt, and lab coat.

B. PPE (Personal Protective Equipment):
The most obvious safety practice is the use of personal protective equipment. However, PPE is the last system of defense against chemical hazards. Practitioners should focus their efforts on the maintenance of a safe work environment, proper training, and the replacement of more with less dangerous chemicals where possible. We will classify PPE into three sections- eye, body, and respiratory protection. (note: larger labs and some rare reactions may also require hearing protection, light-restrictive eye protection, hard hats, and other forms of protection as necessary).
Eye Protection: Chemical splash goggles
Eye protection is not just to prevent impact, which is all that general safety goggles, with or without side shields, do. General safety goggles and eyeglasses offer limited protection against sprays, and do NOT prevent splash hazards, which may come from any angle or drip down one’s face into the eyes. Additionally, some chemical fumes are eye irritants.
Bees should wear chemical splash goggles labeled with the code Z87.1, which denotes compliance with safety standards. The goggles must fit snugly against the face and remain on at all times. Suggestion: Chemical Splash/Impact Goggle.

• Do not touch your eyes while in a lab.
• Never wear contact lenses in a lab- some chemicals may react with them, and liquids may get trapped under them, exacerbating eye damage and reducing effectiveness of emergency eye washes.
• Face shields that cover the entire face may be necessary for chemicals that are particularly corrosive, flammable, or explosive.

Body Protection:
Long clothes that cover as much skin as possible is a must. This means closed shoes or boots, pants, long sleeves, a lab coat, and gloves. Tie back long hair. Change gloves and wash hands as often as possible, especially before leaving the lab. Recognize that touching things such as your phone with your gloves on may spread toxic chemicals.

1. Gloves: Keep a large amount of gloves on hand. This includes boxes of traditional nitrile/latex gloves, and at least one pair each of heat/cold resistant and thick-rubber, arm-length, corrosive-resistant gloves.

• All gloves are permeable- even the proper glove will only protect for a period of time. Many chemicals will eventually work their way through them. It is imperative that gloves are changed and hands washed as often as possible.
• If more than one type of hand protection is necessary, multi-hazard protective gloves are available; otherwise, gloves may be layered.
• All used gloves should be considered hazardous. Throw them away in a safe place, and do not wear or carry them outside of the lab area.

2. Lab Coats: Multi-hazard protection lab coats are best, and should be both fire (FR) and chemical splash (CP) resistant. Most basic lab coats found online or in stores are not FCP. Proper coats are more expensive, but are absolutely worthwhile as they may prevent fire, chemical burns, and even death (research the UCLA tert-butyllithium incident). Here is an example of a proper lab coat: Lab Coat.

• If you work with corrosive chemicals, a chemical splash apron, arm-length rubber gloves, and face shields may be necessary.
• Keep lab coats in the lab area unless they are washed. They should be assumed to contain hazardous chemicals.

3. Respiratory Protection:
Never smell chemicals or inhale their fumes. Use a fume hood when necessary and keep containers closed tightly. In case of a large chemical spill, evacuate immediately. Use a fume hood with any organic solvent, concentrated acids, and concentrated ammonia. Use respirators when working with fine powders or toxic fumes.
C. Lab setup:
Develop a thorough floor plan before equipping your lab.
Priorities:

• Ventilation- Air must flow from other areas of the facility or home to the lab area, and subsequently out of the building. Fume hoods must immediately direct airflow out of building.
• Maximize open work space and visibility, and minimize obstruction throughout the work area.
• Allow ample space between and within workstations.
• Include ample lighting.
• Include ample (excess) storage space that is separate from lab spaces where reactions take place.
• Use OSHA approved acid, corrosive, and flammable storage cabinets.
• Strategically place first aid, wash stations, spill control kits, fire extinguishers and blankets such that all are easily accessible in case of emergency, and such that an emergency itself (e.g. fire) will not obstruct access.
• Doors should, preferably, hinge outward to promote prompt evacuation.
• All wash stations must have a proper drain.
• Large sinks are best, and there should be one per workstation.
• All electrical and gas lines must be easily severable or closable.
• Black epoxy resin surfaces are preferred.
• Install and routinely check smoke detectors.

D. Behavior and Technique:

• Keep a proper lab notebook that records all procedures.
• Gather all needed glassware, labware, and chemicals before beginning an experiment.
• Keep all equipment clean and dry when not in use.
• Never add solvent to acids, bases, etc!! This could result in a violent reaction. All ways prepare the solvent first, and slowly add the acid or base to it.
• Eliminate distractions.
• Stay organized and keep the lab uncluttered.
• Bond and ground when pouring flammable or combustible liquids.
• Use the right tool for the job. Do not skimp or substitute glassware.

IV. Chemical Safety
A. SDS:
The first and most vital step to understand how to safely handle chemicals is thorough, proper, and regular review of Safety Data Sheets. It is recommended that physical copies of SDSs be kept for all chemicals in the laboratory. Safety Data Sheets can be found online as well, and should be reviewed each time a chemical is used, at least until one has extensive experience with that chemical. Safety and storage information should also be reviewed for any compounds synthesized, as well as any side products or impurities.
The format of an SDS is an update to the traditional MSDS, and follows the guidelines prescribed by the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) established in March 2012. A traditional MSDS is likely to contain all or most of the necessary information; however, SDS has the benefit of a strict and easy to follow format that includes the following 16 sections:
Section 1—Identification: Chemical/product name, name and contact information of producer.
Section 2—Hazard(s) Identification: All known hazards of the chemical and required label elements. The GHS identifies three hazard classes: health (toxicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, etc.), physical (corrosive, flammable, combustible, etc.), and environmental hazards. There are 16 types of physical hazards and 10 types of health hazards. Next to each listed hazard is a rank/category from 1-4, with 1 being the most severe level of hazard. Next are hazard pictograms, a signal word, and hazard (H) statements and precautionary (P) statements. Pictograms allow chemists to quickly understand the basic hazards of a chemical, and must be on the chemical label. What pictograms a chemical requires is quantitatively determined, and users should become familiar with them.
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There are two signal words- Danger!, and Warning!, the former being more serious than the latter.
P and H statements list specifically hazardous situations and precautions that must be taken when handling the chemical.
Section 3—Composition/Information on Ingredients
Section 4—First-Aid Measures
Section 5—Fire-Fighting Measures
Section 6—Accidental Release Measures: What to do in case of accidental spill or release of chemicals, proper containment, and cleanup.
Section 7—Handling and Storage
Section 8—Exposure Controls/Personal Protection: Includes exposure limits.
Section 9—Physical and Chemical Properties: appearance, odor, flashpoint, solubility, pH, evaporation rates, etc.
Section 10—Stability and Reactivity: Chemical stability and possible hazardous reactions.
Section 11—Toxicological Information: Routes of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, or absorption contact), symptoms, acute and chronic effects, and numerical measures of toxicity.
Sections 12-15 are optional, but include ecological information, disposal considerations, transportation information, and regulatory information.
Section 16-- includes any additional information the producer may want to portray.
B. Chemical Labeling:
All chemicals should be labeled at all times to avoid hazard, confusion, and waste.

• Containers that are being used in a procedure (beakers, flasks, wash bottles, etc.) may simply be labeled with a piece of scotch tape and a permanent marker.
• Vessels that will be heated can be labeled with a heat-resistant paint marker.
• Chemicals that will be stored (whether produced or purchased) should be labeled with at minimum the chemical name, date of production/purchase/opening, and safety concerns. Simple labels may be used for containers that are not in the manufacturer’s packaging.

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C. Chemical Storage:
General Reagents:

• Keep storage spaces organized, clean, and uncluttered.
• All chemicals should be stored properly whenever not in use.
• Store bottles away from shelf edges, and/or have lipped shelves to prevent falls from, and contain spills on, shelves.
• Keep seals tight.
• Keep an inventory.
• Always label chemicals properly, including the dates received and opened.
• Bees may opt to cover glass containers in clear packing tape to reduce mess if a bottle is broken.
• Store flammable and combustible liquids in a flammable cabinet. An old fridge is a good method of storage for bees. Never store food or drink in the same refrigerator.
• Do not store liquids above solids.
• Always store corrosive chemicals on spill trays.
• Store odoriferous and toxic chemicals in ventilated cabinets.
• Keep heavy containers on bottom shelves, and don’t store in high places or on the floor unless properly protected.

Common Storage Combinations to Avoid:

• Chlorine with- ammonia, acetylene, benzene, butadiene, hydrogen, petroleum gases, sodium carbide, or turpentine.
• Acetone with- bromine, chlorine, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, or hydrogen peroxide (do not use acetone to clean receptacles that have had these chemicals in them!).
• Iodine with- acetylene, ammonia, or hydrogen.
• Water- keep all other chemicals away from water unless in solution. Especially avoid hydration of acetyl chloride, alkaline and alkaline earth metals, barium peroxide, carbides, chromic acid, phosphorus oxychloride, phosphorus pentachloride, phosphorous pentoxide, sulfuric acid, or sulfur trioxide.
• Nitric Acid with- acetone, acetic acid, alcohol, chromic acid, aniline, hydrocyanic acid, hydrogen sulfide, or any flammable substances (keep this in mind when cleaning with nitric acid).
• Hydrogen Peroxide with- copper, chromium, iron, most metals or salts of metals, alcohols, acetone, organic materials, aniline, nitromethane, flammable liquids, ammonia, or oxidizing agents.
• Zinc and sulfur.
• Mercury with- acetylene, fulminic acid, or ammonia.

Compressed Gasses:

• Keep cylinders of compressed gasses secured
• Keep appropriate breathing apparati in the vicinity, but not immediately near the compressed gases in case of emergency.
• Keep the valve cap secured unless in use or connected to a line.
• Do not store flammable gases near oxidizers or combustible materials.
• Do not allow a cylinder to empty completely.
• Dispose of cylinders after ten years, or three in the case of corrosive and toxic chemicals.

Note: avoid working with gases when possible. Gas chemistry has many complications, is often unsafe, and produces poor yields and poor quality products.
Bulk Storage Containers:

• Carboys: These are great for general purpose, and storage of chemicals no longer in their original container. However, they are not ideal for transport or use with acids, caustics, flammable liquids, or corrosive substances.
• Safety Cans: have spring loaded lids and flame arresters. They are good for fluids in volumes less than five gallons, are safe for transporting most chemicals, and can be had for around $80. Recommended Safety Can.
• Drums: for bulk chemicals. They may weigh in excess of 800 lb (364 kg), and should only be moved with a drum dolly, not rolled or dragged. Drums may be made of steel or high-strength plastics.

D. Bonding and Grounding:
“Class I Liquids should not be run or dispensed into a container unless the nozzle and container are electrically interconnected.” (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.106(e)(6)(ii), ATEX directive, and NFPA UFC Div. VIII, Sec. 79.803a). An ungrounded static voltage (including from friction) may cause combustion of some fluids. Metal containers must be connected via a common grounding wire made of solid or braided wire, or welded connections, before fluid is poured between them.
E. Peroxide-Forming Chemicals:
A variety of common chemicals spontaneously form peroxide compounds under ordinary storage conditions due to reaction with oxygen. Peroxides are extraordinarily explosive, and can often be ignited by contact with heat, friction (incl. simply turning the cap of the container), and mechanical shock (incl. shaking, bumping, or dropping).
Three classes of peroxide-forming chemicals are of particular interest, and are organized by the precautions that should be taken with unopened and opened containers.
Class A Peroxide Formers: the most hazardous class.
Unopened: discard or test for peroxides after 12 months or at manufacturer’s expiration date (whichever comes first).
Opened: Test for peroxides quarterly.
Common class A peroxide formers include:
Butadiene (liquid monomer)
Isopropyl ether
Sodium amide (sodamide)
Chloroprene (liquid monomer)
Potassium amide
Tetrafluoroethylene (liquid monomer)
Divinyl acetylene
Potassium metal
Vinylidene chloride
Class B Peroxide Formers:
Unopened: discard or test for peroxides after 12 months or at manufacturer’s expiration date (whichever comes first).
Opened: test for peroxide formation every 6 months.
*Always test this class immediately before any distillation.
Common Class B Peroxide Formers include:
Acetal
Cumene
Diacetylene
Methylacetylene
1-Phenylethanol
Acetaldehyde
Cyclohexanol
Diethyl ether
Methylcyclopentane
2-Phenylethanol
Benzyl alcohol
2-Cychlohexen-1-ol
Dioxanes
MIBK
2-Propanol
Benzaldehyde
Cyclohexene
Ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (glyme)
2-Pentanol
Tetrahydrofuran
2-Butanol
Decahydronaphthalene
Furan 4-Penten-1-ol
Class C Peroxide Formers:
Same precautions as Class B.
Include:
Acrylic acid
Chloroprene
Styrene
Vinyl acetylene
Vinyladiene chloride
Acrylonitirile
Chlorotrifluoroethylene
Tetrafluoroethylene
Vinyl chloride
Butadiene
Methyl methacrylate
Vinyl acetate
Vinyl pyridine
*Without opening, immediately dispose of any peroxide-forming chemical with any crystalline formation. Be careful not to open, shake, heat, or drop.
Testing Peroxide-Forming Chemicals:
Peroxide test strips can be bought cheaply online, or various in-lab tests can be performed:
One method is to combine the fluid with an equal volume (1-3mL) of acetic acid (AcOH). To this a few drops of a 5% KI solution are added, and a color change indicates the presence of peroxides.
Another method adds a small amount of the fluid to be tested (~0.5mL) to ~1mL 10% KI solution and ~0.5mL dilute HCL. To this a few drops of starch indicator are added, and the presence of blue/blue-black color within a minute indicates the presence of peroxides.
Fluids with a LOW (<30ppm) concentration of peroxides can often be deperoxidated via filtration through activated alumina, distillation (not for THF!), evaporation, or chromatography.
V. Labware Safety
A. Glassware:

• Always inspect glassware for cracks, chips, or fractures before use. Discard any glassware that is even slightly damaged.
• Use glassware for its intended purpose! Heat fluids in a round-bottom boiling flask whenever possible.
• Store on a shelf away from the edge. Round-bottomed flasks should be set on cork or tin holders, or padded into a drawer.
• Joint grease reduces stuck joints, and therefore breakage.
• Always carry glassware with two hands. Do not hold beakers by their sides, or flasks by the neck.
• Clean glassware after any procedure, and before as necessary.

B. Support:

• Use the fewest amount of clamps such that all structures are firmly held.
• Support all flasks with rings.
• Assemble apparati from bottom up.
• Assemble such that liquid always passes through the male joint. Never allow fluid to pass into the joint. This prevents both leaks and lubricant contamination.
• Do not over tighten clamps. Clamps should be tightened the minimum amount that provides a secure frame.

C. Tubing:

• Cut glass tubing by placing a single slit in the desired position, then breaking by pulling the edges toward you and pushing the joint out.
• Bend glass tubing by heating until red, and pulling ends toward self to form desired angle.
• Use lubricant to insert tubing into stoppers, and wear hand protection during assembly.
• DO NOT force glass together or into anything. Use minimal pressure, lubricant, and a gentle twisting motion if necessary.

D. Heating:

• Heating mantles and hot plates are preferred over bunsen burners in almost all situations. Never unnecessarily introduce a flame to your lab environment.
• Avoid rapid temperature changes whenever possible. Borosilicate glass is made for more rapid temperature changes. Heat and cool glass slowly. Do not set hot glass on a cold tabletop or under cold water.
• Never look into the mouth of a receptacle that is being heated, or point it towards the self or others.
• Use heat resistant gloves and/or tongs to handle hot receptacles or products.
• Cover oil baths so they don’t splatter, or use a sand bath in its stead.
• Always use boiling chips for reflux and distillation!

E. Electricity:

• Be aware of electrical hazards. Check wires periodically, and keep the lab environment dry and clean.
• Use power strips to protect equipment.

VI. Reaction Safety
A. Fume Hoods:
Fume hoods are absolutely essential whenever flammability, toxicity, or accidental intoxication is a concern. That includes all organic solvents, concentrated acids, and concentrated ammonia, as well as any materials that are both volatile and toxic, corrosive, reactive, or intoxicating. The face velocity of a fume hood should be around 100 ft/min or 0.5 m/s. Keep these guidelines in mind when using a fume hood:

• Regularly check that air flow is not blocked.
• Keep the sash open as little as possible to promote air flow.
• Keep all chemicals and glassware at least 6 inches away from the edge of the workspace.
• Air should flow from the fume hood directly to the outdoors.

Unfortunately, bees often find that fume hoods are the most difficult apparatus to obtain and install in a private laboratory. Nonetheless, it is imperative that each lab includes one. This is especially important for bees, who often work in confined spaces that can quickly and easily fill with toxic, flammable, or intoxicating vapors. A proper fume hood may cost several thousand dollars. Fortunately, there are many online guides and videos that teach how to construct one for as little as a few hundred dollars. The builder must meticulously ensure that air flow is adequate and constant. The outtake must be properly filtered, and there must not be any leaks through which air can flow other than the space under the sash and the outtake.
B. Additional Tips:

• Avoid gas chemistry whenever possible. It is often dangerous, difficult, and produces poor quality products and low yields.
• Avoid pressurized systems whenever possible. They also present special risks.
• After working with potentially pyrophoric agents that may not interact well with water or oxygen, flush apparati with pressurized inert gas before cleaning.
• Do not clean bromine contaminated glassware with acetone, which forms bromoacetone, a tear gas.
• Always use deionized water- tap water contains interruptive ions such as Mg2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, and Ca2+, as well as dissolved gasses.

VII. Emergency Procedures
A. Emergency Shower and Eyewash Stations:
If any hazardous chemical comes in contact with the body or eyes, the emergency shower or eye-wash station should be utilized immediately, with continued application for at least 15 minutes. The eyes should be held open for this entire process. Quality eye-wash stations can be purchased online for between 50 and several hundred US dollars. Bees who don’t have one installed are advised to purchase one. Some models can be attached directly to a sink faucet. An alternative, less effective, and minimal necessary precaution is bottled, eye-safe saline solution such as EyeSaline and Physician’s Care Eyewash Station, which can be purchased online for around $10 for a single bottle, and $30+ for kits. At least two bottles should be kept on hand in case both eyes are contaminated. Application of bottled solution to both eyes may require a partner, because the eyes must be held open to maximize effectiveness. For this, and other reasons (speed, difficulty/time of opening bottles vs. pushing a button, and water pressure) an actual eyewash station is in all ways preferred. Faucet-mounted eyewash stations such as the following are very affordable (US $59.95). Recommended Eyewash Station.
Bees may not, however, have the space to install a safety shower. The home shower may be used in its stead; however, precaution must be taken to ensure it is easily accessible. The chemist should alert all others in the home/facility that they are working, and require that the door to the shower, and the path to it, be open at all times in case of emergency.
B. Fire extinguishers:

• Avoid working with flames whenever possible, especially when working with flammable solvents. Hot plates or heating mantles are preferable in almost all situations.
• There are four classes of fires:

Class A- ordinary combustibles- wood, cloth, paper- can be extinguished with water, or general fire extinguishers.
Class B- organic solvents, flammable liquids- chemical foam extinguishers (also work for class A and C).
Class C- electrical equipment- chemical foam extinguishers.
Class D- combustible metals such as aluminum, titanium, magnesium, lithium, zirconium, sodium, and potassium.

• A dry chemical ABC extinguisher is usually adequate.
• If you plan to work with combustible metals (not recommended unless necessary), make sure to have a class D dry chemical fire extinguisher. Other methods or classes of extinguishers will not put out a combustible metal fire. Note that class D fire extinguishers will not work for class A, B, or C fires.
• Do not use a CO2 extinguisher- if it has to be used on the person it can cause frostbite and inhibit breathing.

C. Fire blankets:
Used for small fires, or to put out a person who has caught fire (laying on ground, standing may cause the fire to move up the body to the head due to a chimney effect).
D. Spills:
Keep some vinegar or baking soda around to neutralize bases and acids, respectively. After acids and bases are neutralized, the chemical can be mopped up and placed in waste disposal.
VIII. Post-Procedure Protocols
A. Personal Hygiene:
Wash hands, face, and all exposed skin after PPE has been removed to avoid recontamination by touching dirty clothes. Shower and change clothes once possible.
B. Facility Hygiene:
Clean all surfaces, glassware, and equipment before leaving the lab. Keep laboratory items in the lab, and personal items out of it. Chemicals may be transferred into the home through those items. Additionally, foreign objects have the potential to contaminate sterile laboratory environments.
C. Waste Disposal:
Waste disposal is one of the most important aspects of safety, image management, public relations, avoidance of fines or criminal charges, and environmental preservation.

• Create a waste disposal plan before beginning a procedure or ordering a chemical.
• Consult the SDS for all chemicals, individually or in a mixture.
• Clearly label all containers, including waste.
• Rinse out empty containers with an inert solvent several times before disposal.
• Collect aqueous waste separately from organic solvent waste, and place solid waste in a labeled container for disposal. Flammable and toxic waste should be stored in a closed waste container in the fume hood until proper disposal is possible.
• Non-hazardous waste may be disposed of in a landfill.

The Article “Management of Waste” found here states, “The best strategy for managing laboratory waste aims to maximize safety and minimize environmental impact, and considers these objectives from the time of purchase.” The article describes four tiers of waste management:

1. Pollution prevention and source reduction (green chemistry).
2. Reuse and redistribution of unwanted/surplus material (purchasing only what is needed).
3. Treatment, reclamation, and recycling of materials within the waste.
4. Disposal through incineration, treatment, or land burial. Additionally, use of solvent as fuel, or a fuel blender (the least desirable tier).

I hope this safety plan can save a few bees. I know there is a lot of information, but chemical safety is extremely important and multifaceted. Best of luck with your endeavors. Stay safe out there!

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Table of Contents:
I. Introduction
II. Basic Laboratory Safety Rules
III. Dress, Preparation, and PPE for Lab Work
A. Basic Considerations
B. PPE
C. Lab Setup
D. Behavior and Technique
IV. Chemical Safety
A. SDS
B. Chemical Labeling
C. Chemical Storage
D. Bonding and Grounding
E. Peroxide Forming Molecules and Shelf Lives
V. Labware Safety
A. Glassware
B. Support
C. Tubing
D. Heat
E. Electricity
VI. Reaction Safety
A. Fume Hoods
B. Additional Tips
VII. Emergency Procedures
A. Emergency Shower and Eyewash Stations
B. Fire Extinguishers
C. Fire Blankets
D. Spills
E. First Aid
VIII. Post-Procedure Protocols
A. Personal Hygiene
B. Facility Hygiene
C. Waste Disposal
IX. List of Edits
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I. Introduction:
Chemistry is an extremely exciting endeavor; however, it can also be an exceedingly dangerous one. Professional chemists are disfigured, maimed, burned, and even killed every year. Clandestine chemists face even greater harm when they have a lack of knowledge, inadequate facilities, no established safety protocol, or a capricious attitude. If you want to be a productive bee, you will face untold hours of preparation. It will prove to be a worthwhile endeavor; however, it is not something to rush, and your chances of success are slim-to-none if you damage yourself, others, or your home/facility.
The following document is very long and thorough. We won't pretend that bees are going to follow all of these recommendations, but I urge all baby bees to at least browse this document to become familiarize with the attitude of safety and some of the dangers of laboratory work.
I am open to any and all recommendations, questions, and edits- this will be a working document.
I wish you all luck in your exploration. Remember, however, that safety in the lab rarely comes down to luck- it is all about preparation, execution, and awareness of your surroundings. Safe travels, fellow bees!
II. Basic Laboratory Safety Rules:

• Never work alone, and alert others on the premises that you are about to conduct lab work. If you are blinded, set on fire, burnt, frightened, accidentally intoxicated, experience a health emergency, or are otherwise put in danger, you may be unable to remedy the situation alone, which could lead to death, permanent blindness, disfigurement, etc. Be sure that you and/or another has the ability to call 911.
• Wear proper PPE at all times and avoid other hazardous dress (see the section on PPE below).
• Always prepare for the worst!! Wear the PPE and take the precautions that will protect against the worst case scenario given the chemicals and processes you work with.
• Never eat, drink, chew gum, or have any unnecessary items in the lab in case of contamination (of the items, self, or the experiment).
• Keep the lab clean, sanitary, and organized.
• Never allow walkways or exits to become obstructed.
• Thoroughly study the SDS for each chemical you work with.
• Have emergency procedures in place, including fire extinguishers, fire blankets, first aid, spill kits, emergency showers, and eyewash station.
• Understand peroxide-forming chemicals, and evaluate shelf-lives of materials.
• Bond and ground flammable and combustible fluids.
• Use a fume hood.
• Store and handle reagents properly.
• Add acids and bases to water, never vice-versa.
• Never look into the end of any glassware wherein a reaction is taking place.

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III. Dress, Preparation, and PPE for Lab Work
A. Basic Considerations:
Before we apply PPE, there are some basic precautions that must be taken in terms of dress and personal hygiene.
Do NOT:

• Wear loose fitting clothing that may knock things over, catch fire, or soak up chemicals.
• Wear jewelry for the above reasons. Metals in jewelry may also react with certain chemicals.
• Unnecessarily expose any skin.
• Wear contact lenses, unless full, non-ventilated goggles are also worn.

Do:

• Maintain personal hygiene to avoid contamination.
• Wear all proper PPE, especially gloves and goggles at all times.
• Wash hands and change gloves as frequently as possible.
• Wear closed-toe, thick, shoes.
• Wear tight-fitting clothing that covers as much skin as possible- long sleeves, long pants, closed shirt, and lab coat.

B. PPE (Personal Protective Equipment):
The most obvious safety practice is the use of personal protective equipment. However, PPE is the last system of defense against chemical hazards. Practitioners should focus their efforts on the maintenance of a safe work environment, proper training, and the replacement of more with less dangerous chemicals where possible. We will classify PPE into three sections- eye, body, and respiratory protection. (note: larger labs and some rare reactions may also require hearing protection, light-restrictive eye protection, hard hats, and other forms of protection as necessary).
Eye Protection: Chemical splash goggles
Eye protection is not just to prevent impact, which is all that general safety goggles, with or without side shields, do. General safety goggles and eyeglasses offer limited protection against sprays, and do NOT prevent splash hazards, which may come from any angle or drip down one’s face into the eyes. Additionally, some chemical fumes are eye irritants.
Bees should wear chemical splash goggles labeled with the code Z87.1, which denotes compliance with safety standards. The goggles must fit snugly against the face and remain on at all times. Suggestion: Chemical Splash/Impact Goggle.

• Do not touch your eyes while in a lab.
• Never wear contact lenses in a lab- some chemicals may react with them, and liquids may get trapped under them, exacerbating eye damage and reducing effectiveness of emergency eye washes.
• Face shields that cover the entire face may be necessary for chemicals that are particularly corrosive, flammable, or explosive.

Body Protection:
Long clothes that cover as much skin as possible is a must. This means closed shoes or boots, pants, long sleeves, a lab coat, and gloves. Tie back long hair. Change gloves and wash hands as often as possible, especially before leaving the lab. Recognize that touching things such as your phone with your gloves on may spread toxic chemicals.

1. Gloves: Keep a large amount of gloves on hand. This includes boxes of traditional nitrile/latex gloves, and at least one pair each of heat/cold resistant and thick-rubber, arm-length, corrosive-resistant gloves.

• All gloves are permeable- even the proper glove will only protect for a period of time. Many chemicals will eventually work their way through them. It is imperative that gloves are changed and hands washed as often as possible.
• If more than one type of hand protection is necessary, multi-hazard protective gloves are available; otherwise, gloves may be layered.
• All used gloves should be considered hazardous. Throw them away in a safe place, and do not wear or carry them outside of the lab area.

2. Lab Coats: Multi-hazard protection lab coats are best, and should be both fire (FR) and chemical splash (CP) resistant. Most basic lab coats found online or in stores are not FCP. Proper coats are more expensive, but are absolutely worthwhile as they may prevent fire, chemical burns, and even death (research the UCLA tert-butyllithium incident). Here is an example of a proper lab coat: Lab Coat.

• If you work with corrosive chemicals, a chemical splash apron, arm-length rubber gloves, and face shields may be necessary.
• Keep lab coats in the lab area unless they are washed. They should be assumed to contain hazardous chemicals.

3. Respiratory Protection:
Never smell chemicals or inhale their fumes. Use a fume hood when necessary and keep containers closed tightly. In case of a large chemical spill, evacuate immediately. Use a fume hood with any organic solvent, concentrated acids, and concentrated ammonia. Use respirators when working with fine powders or toxic fumes.
C. Lab setup:
Develop a thorough floor plan before equipping your lab.
Priorities:

• Ventilation- Air must flow from other areas of the facility or home to the lab area, and subsequently out of the building. Fume hoods must immediately direct airflow out of building.
• Maximize open work space and visibility, and minimize obstruction throughout the work area.
• Allow ample space between and within workstations.
• Include ample lighting.
• Include ample (excess) storage space that is separate from lab spaces where reactions take place.
• Use OSHA approved acid, corrosive, and flammable storage cabinets.
• Strategically place first aid, wash stations, spill control kits, fire extinguishers and blankets such that all are easily accessible in case of emergency, and such that an emergency itself (e.g. fire) will not obstruct access.
• Doors should, preferably, hinge outward to promote prompt evacuation.
• All wash stations must have a proper drain.
• Large sinks are best, and there should be one per workstation.
• All electrical and gas lines must be easily severable or closable.
• Black epoxy resin surfaces are preferred.
• Install and routinely check smoke detectors.

D. Behavior and Technique:

• Keep a proper lab notebook that records all procedures.
• Gather all needed glassware, labware, and chemicals before beginning an experiment.
• Keep all equipment clean and dry when not in use.
• Never add solvent to acids, bases, etc!! This could result in a violent reaction. All ways prepare the solvent first, and slowly add the acid or base to it.
• Eliminate distractions.
• Stay organized and keep the lab uncluttered.
• Bond and ground when pouring flammable or combustible liquids.
• Use the right tool for the job. Do not skimp or substitute glassware.

IV. Chemical Safety
A. SDS:
The first and most vital step to understand how to safely handle chemicals is thorough, proper, and regular review of Safety Data Sheets. It is recommended that physical copies of SDSs be kept for all chemicals in the laboratory. Safety Data Sheets can be found online as well, and should be reviewed each time a chemical is used, at least until one has extensive experience with that chemical. Safety and storage information should also be reviewed for any compounds synthesized, as well as any side products or impurities.
The format of an SDS is an update to the traditional MSDS, and follows the guidelines prescribed by the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) established in March 2012. A traditional MSDS is likely to contain all or most of the necessary information; however, SDS has the benefit of a strict and easy to follow format that includes the following 16 sections:
Section 1—Identification: Chemical/product name, name and contact information of producer.
Section 2—Hazard(s) Identification: All known hazards of the chemical and required label elements. The GHS identifies three hazard classes: health (toxicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, etc.), physical (corrosive, flammable, combustible, etc.), and environmental hazards. There are 16 types of physical hazards and 10 types of health hazards. Next to each listed hazard is a rank/category from 1-4, with 1 being the most severe level of hazard. Next are hazard pictograms, a signal word, and hazard (H) statements and precautionary (P) statements. Pictograms allow chemists to quickly understand the basic hazards of a chemical, and must be on the chemical label. What pictograms a chemical requires is quantitatively determined, and users should become familiar with them.
📷
There are two signal words- Danger!, and Warning!, the former being more serious than the latter.
P and H statements list specifically hazardous situations and precautions that must be taken when handling the chemical.
Section 3—Composition/Information on Ingredients
Section 4—First-Aid Measures
Section 5—Fire-Fighting Measures
Section 6—Accidental Release Measures: What to do in case of accidental spill or release of chemicals, proper containment, and cleanup.
Section 7—Handling and Storage
Section 8—Exposure Controls/Personal Protection: Includes exposure limits.
Section 9—Physical and Chemical Properties: appearance, odor, flashpoint, solubility, pH, evaporation rates, etc.
Section 10—Stability and Reactivity: Chemical stability and possible hazardous reactions.
Section 11—Toxicological Information: Routes of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, or absorption contact), symptoms, acute and chronic effects, and numerical measures of toxicity.
Sections 12-15 are optional, but include ecological information, disposal considerations, transportation information, and regulatory information.
Section 16-- includes any additional information the producer may want to portray.
B. Chemical Labeling:
All chemicals should be labeled at all times to avoid hazard, confusion, and waste.

• Containers that are being used in a procedure (beakers, flasks, wash bottles, etc.) may simply be labeled with a piece of scotch tape and a permanent marker.
• Vessels that will be heated can be labeled with a heat-resistant paint marker.
• Chemicals that will be stored (whether produced or purchased) should be labeled with at minimum the chemical name, date of production/purchase/opening, and safety concerns. Simple labels may be used for containers that are not in the manufacturer’s packaging.

​
C. Chemical Storage:
General Reagents:

• Keep storage spaces organized, clean, and uncluttered.
• All chemicals should be stored properly whenever not in use.
• Store bottles away from shelf edges, and/or have lipped shelves to prevent falls from, and contain spills on, shelves.
• Keep seals tight.
• Keep an inventory.
• Always label chemicals properly, including the dates received and opened.
• Bees may opt to cover glass containers in clear packing tape to reduce mess if a bottle is broken.
• Store flammable and combustible liquids in a flammable cabinet. An old fridge is a good method of storage for bees. Never store food or drink in the same refrigerator.
• Do not store liquids above solids.
• Always store corrosive chemicals on spill trays.
• Store odoriferous and toxic chemicals in ventilated cabinets.
• Keep heavy containers on bottom shelves, and don’t store in high places or on the floor unless properly protected.

Common Storage Combinations to Avoid:

• Chlorine with- ammonia, acetylene, benzene, butadiene, hydrogen, petroleum gases, sodium carbide, or turpentine.
• Acetone with- bromine, chlorine, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, or hydrogen peroxide (do not use acetone to clean receptacles that have had these chemicals in them!).
• Iodine with- acetylene, ammonia, or hydrogen.
• Water- keep all other chemicals away from water unless in solution. Especially avoid hydration of acetyl chloride, alkaline and alkaline earth metals, barium peroxide, carbides, chromic acid, phosphorus oxychloride, phosphorus pentachloride, phosphorous pentoxide, sulfuric acid, or sulfur trioxide.
• Nitric Acid with- acetone, acetic acid, alcohol, chromic acid, aniline, hydrocyanic acid, hydrogen sulfide, or any flammable substances (keep this in mind when cleaning with nitric acid).
• Hydrogen Peroxide with- copper, chromium, iron, most metals or salts of metals, alcohols, acetone, organic materials, aniline, nitromethane, flammable liquids, ammonia, or oxidizing agents.
• Zinc and sulfur.
• Mercury with- acetylene, fulminic acid, or ammonia.

Compressed Gasses:

• Keep cylinders of compressed gasses secured
• Keep appropriate breathing apparati in the vicinity, but not immediately near the compressed gases in case of emergency.
• Keep the valve cap secured unless in use or connected to a line.
• Do not store flammable gases near oxidizers or combustible materials.
• Do not allow a cylinder to empty completely.
• Dispose of cylinders after ten years, or three in the case of corrosive and toxic chemicals.

Note: avoid working with gases when possible. Gas chemistry has many complications, is often unsafe, and produces poor yields and poor quality products.
Bulk Storage Containers:

• Carboys: These are great for general purpose, and storage of chemicals no longer in their original container. However, they are not ideal for transport or use with acids, caustics, flammable liquids, or corrosive substances.
• Safety Cans: have spring loaded lids and flame arresters. They are good for fluids in volumes less than five gallons, are safe for transporting most chemicals, and can be had for around $80. Recommended Safety Can.
• Drums: for bulk chemicals. They may weigh in excess of 800 lb (364 kg), and should only be moved with a drum dolly, not rolled or dragged. Drums may be made of steel or high-strength plastics.

D. Bonding and Grounding:
“Class I Liquids should not be run or dispensed into a container unless the nozzle and container are electrically interconnected.” (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.106(e)(6)(ii), ATEX directive, and NFPA UFC Div. VIII, Sec. 79.803a). An ungrounded static voltage (including from friction) may cause combustion of some fluids. Metal containers must be connected via a common grounding wire made of solid or braided wire, or welded connections, before fluid is poured between them.
E. Peroxide-Forming Chemicals:
A variety of common chemicals spontaneously form peroxide compounds under ordinary storage conditions due to reaction with oxygen. Peroxides are extraordinarily explosive, and can often be ignited by contact with heat, friction (incl. simply turning the cap of the container), and mechanical shock (incl. shaking, bumping, or dropping).
Three classes of peroxide-forming chemicals are of particular interest, and are organized by the precautions that should be taken with unopened and opened containers.
Class A Peroxide Formers: the most hazardous class.
Unopened: discard or test for peroxides after 12 months or at manufacturer’s expiration date (whichever comes first).
Opened: Test for peroxides quarterly.
Common class A peroxide formers include:
Butadiene (liquid monomer)
Isopropyl ether
Sodium amide (sodamide)
Chloroprene (liquid monomer)
Potassium amide
Tetrafluoroethylene (liquid monomer)
Divinyl acetylene
Potassium metal
Vinylidene chloride
Class B Peroxide Formers:
Unopened: discard or test for peroxides after 12 months or at manufacturer’s expiration date (whichever comes first).
Opened: test for peroxide formation every 6 months.
*Always test this class immediately before any distillation.
Common Class B Peroxide Formers include:
Acetal
Cumene
Diacetylene
Methylacetylene
1-Phenylethanol
Acetaldehyde
Cyclohexanol
Diethyl ether
Methylcyclopentane
2-Phenylethanol
Benzyl alcohol
2-Cychlohexen-1-ol
Dioxanes
MIBK
2-Propanol
Benzaldehyde
Cyclohexene
Ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (glyme)
2-Pentanol
Tetrahydrofuran
2-Butanol
Decahydronaphthalene
Furan 4-Penten-1-ol
Class C Peroxide Formers:
Same precautions as Class B.
Include:
Acrylic acid
Chloroprene
Styrene
Vinyl acetylene
Vinyladiene chloride
Acrylonitirile
Chlorotrifluoroethylene
Tetrafluoroethylene
Vinyl chloride
Butadiene
Methyl methacrylate
Vinyl acetate
Vinyl pyridine
*Without opening, immediately dispose of any peroxide-forming chemical with any crystalline formation. Be careful not to open, shake, heat, or drop.
Testing Peroxide-Forming Chemicals:
Peroxide test strips can be bought cheaply online, or various in-lab tests can be performed:
One method is to combine the fluid with an equal volume (1-3mL) of acetic acid (AcOH). To this a few drops of a 5% KI solution are added, and a color change indicates the presence of peroxides.
Another method adds a small amount of the fluid to be tested (~0.5mL) to ~1mL 10% KI solution and ~0.5mL dilute HCL. To this a few drops of starch indicator are added, and the presence of blue/blue-black color within a minute indicates the presence of peroxides.
Fluids with a LOW (<30ppm) concentration of peroxides can often be deperoxidated via filtration through activated alumina, distillation (not for THF!), evaporation, or chromatography.
V. Labware Safety
A. Glassware:

• Always inspect glassware for cracks, chips, or fractures before use. Discard any glassware that is even slightly damaged.
• Use glassware for its intended purpose! Heat fluids in a round-bottom boiling flask whenever possible.
• Store on a shelf away from the edge. Round-bottomed flasks should be set on cork or tin holders, or padded into a drawer.
• Joint grease reduces stuck joints, and therefore breakage.
• Always carry glassware with two hands. Do not hold beakers by their sides, or flasks by the neck.
• Clean glassware after any procedure, and before as necessary.

B. Support:

• Use the fewest amount of clamps such that all structures are firmly held.
• Support all flasks with rings.
• Assemble apparati from bottom up.
• Assemble such that liquid always passes through the male joint. Never allow fluid to pass into the joint. This prevents both leaks and lubricant contamination.
• Do not over tighten clamps. Clamps should be tightened the minimum amount that provides a secure frame.

C. Tubing:

• Cut glass tubing by placing a single slit in the desired position, then breaking by pulling the edges toward you and pushing the joint out.
• Bend glass tubing by heating until red, and pulling ends toward self to form desired angle.
• Use lubricant to insert tubing into stoppers, and wear hand protection during assembly.
• DO NOT force glass together or into anything. Use minimal pressure, lubricant, and a gentle twisting motion if necessary.

D. Heating:

• Heating mantles and hot plates are preferred over bunsen burners in almost all situations. Never unnecessarily introduce a flame to your lab environment.
• Avoid rapid temperature changes whenever possible. Borosilicate glass is made for more rapid temperature changes. Heat and cool glass slowly. Do not set hot glass on a cold tabletop or under cold water.
• Never look into the mouth of a receptacle that is being heated, or point it towards the self or others.
• Use heat resistant gloves and/or tongs to handle hot receptacles or products.
• Cover oil baths so they don’t splatter, or use a sand bath in its stead.
• Always use boiling chips for reflux and distillation!

E. Electricity:

• Be aware of electrical hazards. Check wires periodically, and keep the lab environment dry and clean.
• Use power strips to protect equipment.

VI. Reaction Safety
A. Fume Hoods:
Fume hoods are absolutely essential whenever flammability, toxicity, or accidental intoxication is a concern. That includes all organic solvents, concentrated acids, and concentrated ammonia, as well as any materials that are both volatile and toxic, corrosive, reactive, or intoxicating. The face velocity of a fume hood should be around 100 ft/min or 0.5 m/s. Keep these guidelines in mind when using a fume hood:

• Regularly check that air flow is not blocked.
• Keep the sash open as little as possible to promote air flow.
• Keep all chemicals and glassware at least 6 inches away from the edge of the workspace.
• Air should flow from the fume hood directly to the outdoors.

Unfortunately, bees often find that fume hoods are the most difficult apparatus to obtain and install in a private laboratory. Nonetheless, it is imperative that each lab includes one. This is especially important for bees, who often work in confined spaces that can quickly and easily fill with toxic, flammable, or intoxicating vapors. A proper fume hood may cost several thousand dollars. Fortunately, there are many online guides and videos that teach how to construct one for as little as a few hundred dollars. The builder must meticulously ensure that air flow is adequate and constant. The outtake must be properly filtered, and there must not be any leaks through which air can flow other than the space under the sash and the outtake.
B. Additional Tips:

• Avoid gas chemistry whenever possible. It is often dangerous, difficult, and produces poor quality products and low yields.
• Avoid pressurized systems whenever possible. They also present special risks.
• After working with potentially pyrophoric agents that may not interact well with water or oxygen, flush apparati with pressurized inert gas before cleaning.
• Do not clean bromine contaminated glassware with acetone, which forms bromoacetone, a tear gas.
• Always use deionized water- tap water contains interruptive ions such as Mg2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, and Ca2+, as well as dissolved gasses.

VII. Emergency Procedures
A. Emergency Shower and Eyewash Stations:
If any hazardous chemical comes in contact with the body or eyes, the emergency shower or eye-wash station should be utilized immediately, with continued application for at least 15 minutes. The eyes should be held open for this entire process. Quality eye-wash stations can be purchased online for between 50 and several hundred US dollars. Bees who don’t have one installed are advised to purchase one. Some models can be attached directly to a sink faucet. An alternative, less effective, and minimal necessary precaution is bottled, eye-safe saline solution such as EyeSaline and Physician’s Care Eyewash Station, which can be purchased online for around $10 for a single bottle, and $30+ for kits. At least two bottles should be kept on hand in case both eyes are contaminated. Application of bottled solution to both eyes may require a partner, because the eyes must be held open to maximize effectiveness. For this, and other reasons (speed, difficulty/time of opening bottles vs. pushing a button, and water pressure) an actual eyewash station is in all ways preferred. Faucet-mounted eyewash stations such as the following are very affordable (US $59.95). Recommended Eyewash Station.
Bees may not, however, have the space to install a safety shower. The home shower may be used in its stead; however, precaution must be taken to ensure it is easily accessible. The chemist should alert all others in the home/facility that they are working, and require that the door to the shower, and the path to it, be open at all times in case of emergency.
B. Fire extinguishers:

• Avoid working with flames whenever possible, especially when working with flammable solvents. Hot plates or heating mantles are preferable in almost all situations.
• There are four classes of fires:

Class A- ordinary combustibles- wood, cloth, paper- can be extinguished with water, or general fire extinguishers.
Class B- organic solvents, flammable liquids- chemical foam extinguishers (also work for class A and C).
Class C- electrical equipment- chemical foam extinguishers.
Class D- combustible metals such as aluminum, titanium, magnesium, lithium, zirconium, sodium, and potassium.

• A dry chemical ABC extinguisher is usually adequate.
• If you plan to work with combustible metals (not recommended unless necessary), make sure to have a class D dry chemical fire extinguisher. Other methods or classes of extinguishers will not put out a combustible metal fire. Note that class D fire extinguishers will not work for class A, B, or C fires.
• Do not use a CO2 extinguisher- if it has to be used on the person it can cause frostbite and inhibit breathing.

C. Fire blankets:
Used for small fires, or to put out a person who has caught fire (laying on ground, standing may cause the fire to move up the body to the head due to a chimney effect).
D. Spills:
Keep some vinegar or baking soda around to neutralize bases and acids, respectively. After acids and bases are neutralized, the chemical can be mopped up and placed in waste disposal.
VIII. Post-Procedure Protocols
A. Personal Hygiene:
Wash hands, face, and all exposed skin after PPE has been removed to avoid recontamination by touching dirty clothes. Shower and change clothes once possible.
B. Facility Hygiene:
Clean all surfaces, glassware, and equipment before leaving the lab. Keep laboratory items in the lab, and personal items out of it. Chemicals may be transferred into the home through those items. Additionally, foreign objects have the potential to contaminate sterile laboratory environments.
C. Waste Disposal:
Waste disposal is one of the most important aspects of safety, image management, public relations, avoidance of fines or criminal charges, and environmental preservation.

• Create a waste disposal plan before beginning a procedure or ordering a chemical.
• Consult the SDS for all chemicals, individually or in a mixture.
• Clearly label all containers, including waste.
• Rinse out empty containers with an inert solvent several times before disposal.
• Collect aqueous waste separately from organic solvent waste, and place solid waste in a labeled container for disposal. Flammable and toxic waste should be stored in a closed waste container in the fume hood until proper disposal is possible.
• Non-hazardous waste may be disposed of in a landfill.

The Article “Management of Waste” found here states, “The best strategy for managing laboratory waste aims to maximize safety and minimize environmental impact, and considers these objectives from the time of purchase.” The article describes four tiers of waste management:

1. Pollution prevention and source reduction (green chemistry).
2. Reuse and redistribution of unwanted/surplus material (purchasing only what is needed).
3. Treatment, reclamation, and recycling of materials within the waste.
4. Disposal through incineration, treatment, or land burial. Additionally, use of solvent as fuel, or a fuel blender (the least desirable tier).

I hope this safety plan can save a few bees. I know there is a lot of information, but chemical safety is extremely important and multifaceted. Best of luck with your endeavors. Stay safe out there!

Due to the amount of news we've been getting recently, the moderator team has listened to a few suggestions and has decided to make another megathread.
Steel Wool:

• Back on the 30th of May, Steel Wool's CEO and Co-founder did an interview with Elisha Deogracias to celebrate the release of the Switch port.

The interview also confirms there's something the community hasn't uncovered in Help Wanted

"The FNAF fandom is keen at finding hidden secrets in every Five Nights at Freddy’s game, but is there something in Help Wanted that the fans haven’t found yet?"
"Yes. Oh, did you expect me to say it? No dice!"

• On 6/12/2020, Scott posted a new comment regarding the lack of news for Five Nights at Freddy's Security Breach.

"Okay folks, this is the only news you're going to get about this for a while, but try to be patient! I know sometimes it can seem like everything has come to a stop when there is no news, but in this case it's quite the opposite. There has been a lot of great stuff going on behind the scenes. This game isn't set to appear until the end of the year; and despite how that may sound on the surface, it's very good news! More to come!"

• Scottgames.com has also been updated to feature a new image for the game on 6/11/2020.
  
• On 6/24/2020, the Oculus Quest port was given a release date of July 16th.
  
• On 7/1/2020, Steel Wool posted a update on twitter regarding the Curse of Dreadbear DLC for the ports. Saying while it won't be released immediately, they do have plans for it once everything is up and ready.
  
• On 7/9/2020, Steel Wool posted the Quest port's trailer to their youtube channel.
  
• On 7/16/2020, The Quest port of Help Wanted was released.
  
• On 8/7/2020, Scottgames.com was updated to feature a new image of Vanny with text saying "OBEY"
  
• On 8/8/2020, To celebrate the 6th anniversary of the series Scott posted two unreleased teasers of Roxanne Wolf and Glamrock Chica to the subreddit.
  

On top of that. Steel Wool wished the series a happy 6th anniversary and included art done by one of their great concept artists, cakepaints.

• On 9/16/2020, the teaser trailer for Security Breach was revealed at Sony's PS5 line up showcase.

Illumix:

• A new event for FNaF AR has started called the Wasteland Event. The first character revealed so far is Radioactive Foxy, he was released on 6/11/2020
  
• Illumix made a post about the FNaF AR Merch Store launching this month as well as a general update on the game.
  
• On 6/18/2020, a new skin for the Wasteland Event was released. This time being a skin of Springtrap called "Toxic Springtrap", yours truly lost his shit shortly thereafter.
  
• On 6/19/2020, Illumix revealed the release date for the launch of the store. The store launches on June 23rd, 2020 at 9 AM PST.
  
• Also on the same day, illumix revealed their Sweet Surprise Limited Edition collection launching on June 23rd with the store. Which contains 6 different types of Chocolate Bonnie shirts you can order. VIPs will also have exclusive access to the collection for 2 hours before it is opened to the public.
  
• On 6/20/2020, Illumix revealed more shirt designs featuring characters such as BB, Springtrap, and Foxy.
  
• On 6/22/2020, Illumix made a update post regarding the Wasteland Event & the rest of June 2020.
  
• On 6/22/2020, Illumix revealed a set of posters and mugs planned to be released as part of the store.
  
• On 6/23/2020, the store launched.
  
• On 6/26/2020, Illumix released a new skin for the game called Firework Freddy as well as a update for Shadow Bonnie.
  
• On 7/2/2020, Illumix released a new skin for the game called Liberty Chica.
  
• On 7/9/2020, Illumix made a update post regarding FNaF AR. Liberty Chica being the last skin of the current event, how a character is returning to the game next week and will be here to stay, as well as news regarding plans for August. New skins will be coming as well as a new character alongside the first of the major gameplay updates that they plan to roll out.
  
• On 7/16/2020, Toy Bonnie returned to FNaF AR.
  
• On 7/23/2020, a new event for FNaF AR began called the "Sizzling Summer Event" with the first skin being for Endo-01 called "Flamethrower Bare Endo's".
  
• On 7/26/2020, Illumix confirmed they were making new technology to allow new characters to have different interactions in FNaF AR.
  
• On 7/30/2020, Illumix revealed a new skin for the "Sizzling Summer Event" for Circus Baby called "Broiler Baby"
  
• On 7/31/2020, Illumix teased that new merch would be coming on August 3rd.
  
• On 8/2/2020, Illumix showed off the Arcade Mayhem merch
  
• On 8/3/2020, the Arcade Mayhem merchandise was added to the FNaF AR store.
  
• On 8/6/2020, A new Chica skin by the name of "Scorching Chica" was added to the game as part of the "Sizzling Summer Event". On top of that the Arcade Mayhem merch pre-orders ends today and there have been a few recent fixes to the game.
  
• On 8/13/2020, A new Springtrap skin by the name of "Flaming Springtrap" was added to the game as the final skin of the "Sizzling Summer Event"
  

-On 8/15/2020, a new email was added to the game hinting at a new character.

• On 8/18/2020, another teaser for FNaF AR was posted.
  
• On 8/21/2020, the Arcade Mayhem event animatronics returned for a week.
  
• On 8/27/2020, Ballora was added to FNaF AR.
  
• On 9/2/2020, illumix posted a new tweet on twitter hinting at a new animatronic in FNaF AR.
  
• On 9/3/2020, a new Foxy skin by the name of Ringmaster Foxy was added to FNaF AR.
  
• On 9/10/2020, Mangle got their first skin in FNaF AR named Magician Mangle! Illumix also confirmed two more performers were planned (if they're skins or characters is unclear), more gameplay updates will come by the end of the month, and characters are on their way.
  
• On 9/18/2020, Clown Springtrap was added to the game as a skin of Springtrap as part of the Dark Circus event.
  
• On 9/22/2020, illumix made another update post going over plans for the rest of September and October.
  
• On 9/24/2020, Chocolate Bonnie, Flaming Springtrap, Freddy Frostbear, Toy Freddy, and Mangle all returned to FNaF AR.
  
• On 10/01/2020, Radioactive Foxy, Toxic Springtrap, 8-bit Baby, Broiler Baby, and Shamrock Freddy all returned to FNaF AR.
  
• On 10/02/2020, illumix posted a new teaser hinting at new ways to play.
  
• On 10/07/2020, illumix released a new major update for FNaF AR.
  
• On 10/07/2020, illumix confirmed the first character for the Halloween event would release on Friday.
  
• On 10/07/2020, illumix also tweeted out various numbers and included #readbetweenthelines.
  

Clickteam:

• Sister Location has been released on the Nintendo Switch, but only in America. Other version releases will be in the first half of July
  
• On 6/30/2020, Clickteam revealed the release date for the European Switch release, North America PS4 release, and Xbox One release. The release date being July 10th.
  
• On 6/10/2020, the Sister Location port released for the Xbox as well as the UK and European Switch eshops.
  
• On 7/20/2020, on Twitter Clickteam made a message on twitter asking for input and feedback regarding the controls in the port of Sister Location Custom Night.
  
• Sister Location launched on PS4 in Europe.
  
• On 9/25/2020, FFPS for mobile devices received a new update.
  

Scott Cawthon:

• Recently Scott was seen commenting on a user's stream saying "I'm busy working on a new game for all of you! I hope it will be ready later this year."

Whether or not the comment was referring to Security Breach or a brand new project is unknown for certain, so please avoid taking this as confirmation of a brand new game.

• On 7/15/2020, reviews started appearing on Scott's Voices.com page. Reviews for jobs titled "Friendly but annoying" and "Metal Femme Fatale" are currently up.

Samantha Cavallara was hired for "What a sweet kid, no evil intentions!"

• On 7/16/2020, Tim Simmons was hired to do the role of "Robotic Overlord"
  
• On 7/18/2020, Melissa Kahan was also hired for the job "What a sweet kid, no evil intentions.
  
• On 7/19/2020, Jaden Luo was hired for the job "Kid in a box!"
  
• On 7/20/2020, a listing went up for the job "Kid on the run! This is a bad situation!" with over 26 minutes of dialogue.
  
• On 7/22/2020, Steve Schlosser of Caribouhouse Studios was hired for the job "Friendly but Annoying Clean-Bot"
  
• On 7/23/2020, a new listing for "Kid on the run!" was found. The original one had 4,000 words, while this one only has 3,000.
  
• On 7/24/2020, "Kid on the run! This is a bad situation" got a VA from Sit To The Table Inc.
  
• On 8/25/2020, Scott made a post on reddit regarding a parody account on twitter.
  
• On 9/30/2020, "FNaF Core Collection was classified in Australia.
  
• Alongside Core Collection, a physical copy of Help Wanted was also classified.
  

Books:

• On 6/19/2020, the final cover art was revealed for The Twisted Ones Graphic Novel.
  
• On 7/1/2020, a preview for Fazbear Frights #5: Bunny Call became available.
  
• On 7/2/2020, Scott made a comment on a post asking for a FNaF cookbook. He responded with "It's actually a really good idea. I'll email Scholastic!"
  
• On 7/3/2020, the title and description for Fazbear Frights #7: "The Breaking Wheel" were revealed.
  
• An official FNaF coloring book is being worked on by scholastic.
  
• On 7/27/2020, the cover for Fazbear Frights 6 - Blackbird was revealed.
  
• On 7/29/2020, Fazbear Frights #8 and #9 were confirmed with release dates of of May 4th, 2021 and July 6th, 2021.
  
• On 8/31/2020, The official FNaF coloring book cover was revealed.
  
• Also on 8/31/2020, preview for some pages from The Twisted Ones Graphic Novel were posted online.
  
• On 9/5/2020, The description for Fazbear Frights 8 was found.
  
• On 10/6/2020, The cover for Fazbear Frights 8: Gumdrop Angel was revealed.
  

Upcoming merch:

• A image was released recently showcasing Freddy Fazbear based masks, headpieces, and a hoodie done by the company Rubies.
  
• A listing for Security Breach merch was found with a release date of September 20th, 2020.
  
• On 6/26/2020, Funko revealed the line up of upcoming figures and mystery minis for Security Breach.
  

On the same day, Scott himself left a statement on the post consisting of "Hey everyone, try not to let any of this bother you too much. Things will be happening very, very differently going forward."

• On 8/6/2020, a poster for Security Breach from Trends International was found.
  
• On 8/12/2020, a new 2021 calendar based on Security Breach was revealed.
  
• The calendar has since been delayed to sometime around September 16th to the 22nd.
  
• On 9/3/2020, names for characters in a Easter collection of Funko merch was found set to release in 2021.
  
• On 9/3/2020, Puppet Steve got a hold of the upcoming Funko Freddy Frostbear plush. Yes, Puppet Steve of all people.
  

-On 9/4/2020, a new FNaF board game was revealed.

• On 9/11/2020, Puppet Steve got another unannounced upcoming Funko plush of Security Puppet which is Hot Topic exclusive.
  
• On 9/11/2020, Just Toys revealed they were making Blacklight Slime toys.
  

Five Nights at Freddy's Movie:
-Blumhouse founder Jason Blum went on record stating development of the film is super active and that it's moving forward and not stalled despite the lack of announcements
-Jason Blum is in talks with Matpat for appearing in a Game Theory video answering some questions regarding the FNaF Movie.
Subreddit and Discord:

• Gnostic28 has returned as a moderator under a new account and made a post explaining what happened.
  
• On 8/22/2020, A charity live stream will be held to celebrate the 4th anniversary of the Freddit Discord. More details in the post.
  
• The subreddit recently reached 175,000 subs.
  

Crossovers:
Never thought we'd get another crossover, last time one happen it was Chica in Creepy Castle. But we do got some news regarding a recent but minor one.

• The game Rec Room is having a promotion for FNaF AR: Special Delivery, you can log into the game this weekend and get a free FNAF hoodie. The gift drops in the Rec Center from 1pm PT on Friday July 3rd until 11:59pm PT on Sunday July 5th.

This post will be updated if any more news is released
Fangames
OK, I NEVER EXPECTED THIS TO HAPPEN EITHER.

• On 8/21/2020, Scott revealed a new project titled The Fazbear Fanverse Initiative.

Scott has stated he will be throwing his own cash toward development of new games in a few particular fan game series, but will stay out of the development of the games and leave the creators to do their own thing.
Once the games are finished, they will be released on Gamejolt for free per usual. However the difference now is that they’ll also be bundled up with other games from the same series, such as the classic versions, or remakes, or minigames, and if all goes to plan be sold on most major consoles and mobile as well. There's also a genuine chance that there may be some toys and other merchandise of these fangames as well.
The titles that will be featured in the initial lineup include:

• Five Nights at Candy’s 4 being done by Emil.
  
• The Joy of Creation: Ignited Collection being done by Nikson.
  
• Popgoes Evergreen being done by Kane and his team.
  

On 9/24/2020, Kane made a video explaining what The Fazbear Fanverse Initiative was and answered some questions about it.

• Returning to the community after being long absent since the FNaF 4 era, Jonochrome will be working on One Night at Flumpty’s 3.

Jonochrome has also released updated versions of ONaF 1 and 2 that remove copyrighted material and replaces them with references to his previous work such as Riddle School and Can't Food as well as a extra night to ONaF 1 on gamejolt. Not only that, he also posted the first teaser of ONaF 3 on twitter including a hidden message.
On 8/28/2020, Jonochrome released a video talking about the third Flumpty's game.

• And lastly, a remake/re-imaging of FNaF 1 will be worked on by Phisnom which has been confirmed to be named FNaF+.
  
• On 8/27/2020, the first teaser for the project was posted.
  
• On 9/12/2020, A new teaser was released titled "Connection Error" to celebrate the milestone of the completion of all the character models.
  

Scott also mentioned that since some of the older fangames may have used copyrighted assets or assets created by other people, etc., that some are getting remade in part or remade entirely! Some being remade completely from the ground up with new character designs, new sound design and new artwork! Not only that if it goes well, Scott stated he can try and add more fangames to this project in the future!

Welcome to the workshop ~
This post is part of the "Atlas of the Planes" Project. Come and stop by our announcement page here to view the full list of planes, the sign up sheet, and links to other posts of the project.
Fictional Editor — qt. unqt. “Corrupted” Mind Flayer, Izu Kafka
Written by — Izu’s thrall, foen7

Title Page

GoblinFit — tunes playlist -- “Official” playlist.

This post was made using Google Docs. As the post currently exceeds the Reddit character limit (110k / 40k), it is recommended to view this content via the link here.

Table of Contents

Title Page 1
GoblinFit — tunes playlist 1
Table of Contents 2
Discovery: 4
Timeline [Mystery Table of Contents] 5
Travel 8
To the Plane — 8
Within the Plane 9
Survival 11
Locals 12
Canon Sentient Races 12
Fodder from Monster Manual — see document pg. 68 for full table 12
6 Homebrew Suggestions — see pg. 68 again 13
Encouraged Classes, see Locations; PRCF, Mysteries, & Surface Epilogue 13
Order of Ceruleans 13
Guild of Dragonfire Architects, 13
Nine Nations 14
Denisovans — Frost Giant Surface Keepers 15
Locations (1 of 2) — Sub-Surface 17
Table 17
Settlements (5) 17
Industrial, Economic (4 + 8 Remodeled Spas and Sauna, see Mysteries) 21
Excavations (8) 23
Battlezones (6) 26
Curiosities (6) 28
Mysteries (1 of 2) — Sub-Surface 32
Strawman FAQs 32
Class Homebrews 33
Barbarian: Path of the Wanderer (a.k.a. Travels of the Foreigner) 33
Bard: College of the Crystal Willow 36
Warlock: Otherworldly Patron: Coven of the White Witches 37
Key Locations — Timeline Focal Points 39
Remodeled Spas and Saunas 52
Solved Mysteries — 53
— 3 Campaign Pitches 53
Politics / Religion / Culture / Factions 57
Intro: Ojibwe Influences, a Lens 59
Disclaimer 59
Nine Nations 59
Cerulean Religion 66
Nine Nations Religion 66
Expansion — Surface Setup 67
Open World Surface Layer 67
Epilogue 67
Day Cycles (3 Regions) 67
Biomes and Overview, Refresher 67
Homebrew Ecology Table 68
Don’t forget about the Remorhaz!!! 76
Loc. (2 of 2) — Surface 77
Mysteries (2 of 2) — Surface 79
Surface Mysteries Table 79
Environmental Subsystems 83
Arctic Botany Table 83
Iceberg Fishing Table 86
The End 87
​

Discovery:

Summary Notes and Campaign Starters

“Ice is history.”
“Think of the elementals and their states of matter — solid, liquid, and spirit — across their Astral Realm incarnations. In them, we see that the trinity of primordial elements of fire, earth, and water existing across each of these states of matter. To return to the incarnations of water and Ice — do we not observe that across nearly every plane, water persists? Look to the Feywild, Elysium, and even the bloody abominations of the abyss. That where water isn’t, it’s absence is the defining characteristic. But is not water itself a mischaracterization of a melted element, one that is as concrete as the earth?
The Plane of Ice today remains one of the most well documented Para-Elemental or Quasi-Elemental Planes of Existence. As civilizations have better outfitted their extremities with increasingly efficient arcane mechanizations, from the fur coat to the hearthstone to the ring of fire, what were once arctic horrors of hypothermia and frostbite now appear as inconvenient truths of ill preparations.
Ice, we once thought, is as eternal as the death that often follows it’s unforgiving temperament. But as the Clockwork Gate has been opened, the March of Modrons have escalated in frequent recurrences, and the Prime Material Worldians have begun to reverse engineer perverted arcane technologies, the lowest foundations of our Icecrown Citadels of Knowledge have become increasingly flooded with glacial runoff. This may have been worsened by the many domestic excavations within the subterranean layers of the Underberg, which many factions, including the Order of Ceruleans, have honeycombed the plane into a house of glass pane cards.
This fate has worsened with the dissolvement of Equifrost Trading Company’s assets and shareholdings by a band of heroic adventurers, introducing the new cantrip spell of “Borrowed Ice Cube,” which has given novices across the realms the ability to reach into the plane for an approximately fist-sized snowball or chunk of ice. This has largely antiquated the need for a corporation specializing in ice block shipping for use among domestic and small business culinary arts. A worrying — and to some reassuring — trend of industries, however, is they continue to prove themselves as adaptable as the meatbags that have founded them. Now as a consequence of their former passions, inhabitants of the plane now stand poised to launch their own mechanical conquest across the Astral Sea, should they so wish it. Has the prophecy of the Githyanki re-fulfilled itself once more? In answer, this entry will attempt to explain the locations known, the history prior to, and recent events preceding the beginning of the plane’s fifth age, currently pending certification.
Enough exposition to these peons, thrall. Translate these charts into their archaic hieroglyphics.”

• “Corrupted” Mind Flayer, Izu Kafka

​

“Pontificate in the prep work, drunkenly slur in misremembered delivery. This is the way my master instructed me.”

• Izu’s Thrall, foen7

​

“As unfortunate as it may be, nature is not unlike a grand machine. By that, I mean it can be as cold and heartless as steel. Although as many human philosophers have romanticized, nature need not be so cruel.”

• Tsenu Odiwun, Half-Orc Epistemology Scholar

Timeline of the Plane's History -- See Doc

Non-essential, but hopefully helpful.

Travel to the Plane — Table

​

Name	Type	Ease of Access	Entry Barrier
Snow Globe’s Call	Ritual	2	Transcribed within the lost artifact, “The Tome of Permafrost”
Appeal to Europa (Zeus > Jupiter > Moon)	Prayer - Invocation	3	Motive of intent is ascertained and judged by demigod and / or deity. See Religion in 5e PHB, 298-299.
The Golden Compass	Divination Artifact	4	Artifacts typically require 3 phases of acquisition: informed of by x, discovered by y, and conflict with z. To top it all off, the compass uses cryptic hieroglyphics to compute.
The Subtle Knife	Artifact, creates interplanar portals across the Astral Sea	5	Potential decade-long campaign of Rift Chasing, in which a band of adventurers journey across the planes tracking down rogue portals created by the lost knife spinning across fantasy space.
The Cerulean Spyglass	Artifact, detects temporary portals within snowstorms	2	Mass produced by Equifrost Trading Company approx. 100 ya, marketed as commoner’s binoculars until the invention's byproduct use was quietly discovered, spurring the company to initiate a product recall to secure it’s near monopolistic entry to and from the plane (at time of recall).
Here Compasses Spin	Location, an unremarkable plain in the far north	5	No small expedition.
Mt. Aurelious	Location, among top 10 tallest in PMW	1-3	Compared to others routes, climbing a steep, glacier-covered mountain is relatively easy
Svalgard	Location, Island in North Sea	2-3	Sometimes called “Ice Hag’s Kiss,” Isle is a dormant cryovolcano.
Obtaining security clearance to, or searching the ruins of, a warehouse of Equifrost Trading Company	Many locations, shipping distribution centers across the continents	0.5	Pffft, why would I climb a mountain?
Meet a Rabbit Folk	Random Event	1-5	A native to the Plane of Ice with mastery over natural portal hopping, see Locals.

Travel Within the Plane

Underberg Infrastructures and Vehicles

1. The Chainlift -- a. prime material world Ski-Lifts, patented by GoblinFit (™)
2. Ice Sled Rails -- Magnetically charged subways, without actual metallic rails or lumber planks. Blackglass is used in acceleration and deceleration of the vehicles, while maintaining speed en route instead relies on ionized ice, a valuable strategic resource and magical component found rarely along the border between the planes of ice and lightning. Ionized Ice often requires encasement in a temperature controlled copper shell, requiring off-planar trade for the conduit metal.
3. City Cranes -- Horizontal and vertical elevators installed along the ceilings adorning the Order of Cerulean cities
4. Moulin Plunge -- a) An ancient elevator has been discovered, and it’s technology reverse engineered after the rediscovery of ionized ice. b) Githzerai engineering, using vertically based heavy magnetization. Known elevators, by contrast, work on rope and pulley fulcrums.
5. Gi’Thousten — Mythical Gith Airship Shaft (Gith + Houston) -- a) A silo to the surface; a Moulin, see locations (ctr+f the phrase “M-[x]” for definition). b) Has been invaded and abandoned by githyanki. c) Reused by undead following surface purge. d) Rediscovered by Order of Cerulean
6. Dracohound Sled Races, and Dracohound Iceways -- See Volvo’s Guide to Monsters for creatures; dragon dog themed sled races and highways.

Survival

Environmental Hazards
Please refer to the document's entry, pg. 11.

Locals

Data list here, juicy paragraphic table in P / C / R / F.

Canon Sentient Races

1. Kobolds
2. Mind Flayers
3. Githzerai and Githyanki
4. Tabaxi - Cat Race, Volvo’s Guide to Monsters
   1. Archaeologists and Treasure Hunters
   2. Mysterious land of origin in canon
5. [Frost] Orcs
6. Frost Tritons, Ice Mermen, Volvo’s Guide to Monsters / Homebrew
7. Frost Giants -- see DENISOVANS detailed entry below.

Fodder from Monster Manual — see document pg. 68 for full table

More Homebrews can be found in Mysteries - Epilogue, which covers the reclamation of the surface

1. Dragons, silver / brass / white / red* / green**
   1. Dragonkin faction
   2. * Red = geothermal pools
   3. ** Green = subglacial forests of mushroom hybrids, eg. pinespore groves
2. Remorhaz
3. Winter Wolf
4. Saber-Toothed Tiger
5. Phase Spider
6. Polar Bear
7. Giant Weasel / Weasel
8. Giant Elk / Elk
9. Yeti
10. [Frost] Sahuagin
11. Quaggoth
12. Ice Mephit
13. Flumph
14. Darkmantle

Order of Ceruleans

Primary Classes of Recruitment among Prime Material World imperialists, boasting a high status within their social hierarchy

Nine Nations (Indigenous Homebrew, see disclaimer)

Homebrew key focus in P / R / C / F
The Nine Nations*, and their International Council of Arctic Region Entities of Sentience (Neutral Good)**

1. Crane Folk
2. Beaver Folk
3. Yak Folk
4. Deer Folk
5. Tabaxi (Volvo’s Guide to Monsters)
6. Walrus Folk
7. Otter Folk
8. Min-yeti
9. Rabbit Folk

• * See Politics / Religion / Culture / Factions
• ** alignments reflects a cumulation of the collective goals defined by the council, while individual nations express a variety of alignments)

Expansion Nations:

1. Siberian Tiger Folk
   
2. Snow Owl Folk
   

Denisovans — Frost Giant Surface Keepers

Frost Giants are not the friendly cousins of either the Stone Giants, Fire Giants, or Cloud Giants, as strong as their familial ties may be. Their practical barbarism stretches back across all accounts detailing the passing of ages. Yet, it would be a misnomer to claim the Denisovans (/Deni/, push of will; /sov/ strength; /an(s)/ people of) are stupid. They possess the conceptual knowledge of bronze, iron, and perhaps even steel forging, though their bio-arcane frameworks prevent them from practicing any form of blacksmithing according to Prime Material World methods of fire and flame.
Yet, Ja’Kardiem, the rare Frost Giant settlement serving as a city, boasts one of the grandest forges of curious practices in the planar regions of positive energy. Using Frost Fire [liquid nitrogen, semi-canon], the Denisovans forge an alloy known as Sub-zero Steel. Ionized Ice is also said to have been pioneered by the Frost Giants, who stumbled upon the compound along the borders with the Plane of Lightning.
Again, while the Denisovans are not a stupid race, they do remain a self-interested one with little investment in the affairs of other races, perceiving them as little more than toddlers to feast upon. A redeeming quality to them, perhaps, is that they warred along the Order of Ceruleans and Nine Nations against the undead incursion into the Plane of Ice. Ceruleans records of this relationship do indicate a temporary exchange of information and cultures, even extending the benefit of doubt toward Frost Giant values for centuries following the Curse of Cartilage and their mutual loss of contact. The Legend of Tylo Krash, however, exemplifies the true Denisovan zeitgeist.
Frost Giant lands, that is, the surface, are broadly characterized as the regions of a) Steelstone Ridge, which experiences Winternacht,, or evernight, of the bright and aurora borealis coated variety, b) Burrlucia(n) (Oldwoods), which experiences Treya, a tri-season calendar of day and night cycles, , and c) the Isea Coasts, which experiences Summerpole, or the lasting polar noon. Each of these are sub-regioned into the lands.
These lands are explored in greater detail within the Expansion: Mysteries - Epilogue section, but shall be granted an overview here. Steelstone Ridge is a centralized zone subdivided into 1a) The IronRange, which borders the plane of Earth and suggests a continental sublayer to the Underberg, 2a) Blitzstrum Pass, which borders the Plane of Lightning and leads into IcePine Ridge, and 3a) Run-way Plateau, an arctic mesa, rumored to have ice-chiseled cliffside cities and flying penguins. Burrlucia encompasses much of the southern hemisphere of the plane, undergoing the seasons of Winter (lasting half a year), the Thaw (lasting a quarter of the year), and Frostfall (lasting the remaining quarter of the year). It’s zones include 1b) Nahanni Valley, which is known for its taiga forests and orange leaf(ed) birch trees, natural springs, and colossal moose, with the second region being 2b) The Snow Globe in the Sky, a mysterious region of a floating icebergs above the snow dune foothills, the largest iceberg said to be in the shape of a pyramid atop a flipped pyramid, it’s facades inscribed with twisting, interwoven spiral designs. The final region consists of the Isea Coasts, to the north, west, and east edges of the plane. The “north” coast, which begins reversing direction south, as if atop a cone, is the 1c) Bergice Sea, which borders the plane of water and hosts unknown rich quantities of marine bio-arcane species. The region bordering the Plane of Ash is known as 2c) Cindersnow Marsh, a place oddly easy to navigate for newcomers should they follow the primordial cyclopean brick road, which leads to Greywaste in the connected plane. The final region is of sublime note, known among mortals as the Five Great Lakes of Frozen Volcanos, lying dormant for millennia, though their lake beds still bubble with sulphuric vigor, and this region is said to border the Plane of Magma.
Many of these lands were once home to the Nine Nations, and evidence of their settlements and / or city-states might lie awaiting a curious band of adventurers or heritage invested first nations. Structures of unknown origins [gith, old god, insectoid, fey, and undead] also coat the near subsurface, their walls and towers sometimes sinking into the hungry mouths of glaciers and snow dunes.
***

“The Giants say that in the foothills under the snowglobe in the sky is a path of floating icebergs leading up to the Moonlands.”

• Tylo Krash, Human Paladin

***
​

“Do you know what terrifies me most? No Dragon, no Oni, no Mind Flayer, no government or secret order, no inhospitable world, no God even, for all those things have been killed by the well informed. No, to me that pedastal is reserved for the creature called the Shield Guardian. It may seem basic to the likes of you, but it has sealed a dark promise in my mind, that one day magic and machine will blend together in some combination that I cannot grasp the fundamentals of, let alone comprehend.”

• Skadi, Goddess Queen of the Denisovans

***

Locations: FAT Table, see doc. pgs. 17-31.

Mysteries:

Class Homebrews go here: Barbarian, Bard, and Warlock.
For a FAT table re: mystery codes, locations, descriptions, and rewards, see doc. pgs. 39-51.

Class Homebrews

Barbarian: Path of the Wanderer (a.k.a. Travels of the Foreigner)

Note: This subclass was made in ignorance of the Ancestral Guardian subclass described in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, though the seed may have been planted by the Dungeon Dudes tier list ranking of Barbarian subclasses (which was forgotten during various drafting and editing phases). As each subclass stands, the following should be considered a fusion of the Ancestral Guardian and Path of the Totem subclasses, with a de-emphasis on the role of off-tank or secondary tank. Use of Path of the Ancestral Guardian subclass remains encouraged across the Plane of Ice.
Core Description:
The Path of the Wanderer invokes the heritage, blood, and traditions of an individual's many, many ancestors. Followers of these paths may come from an isolated village, or from the outskirts of a diverse trading network full of travelers, adventurers, and strangers. In battle, you channel the strength of one or several of your forebears, honing their strengths with new techniques discovered along your travels.
In this way, you become a vessel of harmony of your people’s collective wrath, wisdom, and wrongdoings. Aiding your affinity to Charisma and Wisdom, you draw upon their collective experience through Ancestral Stances.

Leveling

Blood Memory: Starting at the 3rd level, you gain access to the following cantrips: Message, Guidance, and Friends. These spells enable contact with your deceased family tree, as well as influence the surrounding fragments of the world you encounter. The personality traits of your ancestors may be divined from the “Backgrounds” tables of the PHB, starting on pg. 125.
Ancestral Stances (3)
At the 3rd level, when you adopt this path, you choose an ancestral archetype as your primary mentor of imitation. You must acquire, inherit, or recreate a relic to bind the memory of this sentient being to your presence on a consistency basis. This relic can be an item of jewelry, a childhood toy, or a trinket of artistic merit, such as a journal, stone painting, or a wicker vase. As an option, your physical attributes may shift in a minor way to more closely mirror your mentoring ancestor, regardless of gender or racial divides. For example, with a measly heritage of 4% or 16% half-elf, an individual's ears may become more angular, or a similar heritage of a distant dragonborn princess may have more dry and scale-like skin.
Your mentoring ancestor might be an archetype related to those listed here, but more appropriate to your culture of origin. For example, you could choose Fem Fatale in place of “Grandma was a Badass.”
“Uncle was a Storyteller” (U.S)
While raging, you gain a +5 modifier to all charisma checks possible in combat, usable as free actions, and you become renowned for your battle taunts. While others find that their wrath blinds and stutters them, you find clarity and newfound authority by the anger and judgements of those who came before you. Exceptionally worded taunts have been known to provoke opportunities of advantage and disadvantage, at the DM’s discretion.
“My Great-Aunt was a Medicine Woman” (G.A.M.W.)
At the start of your turn, you gain or regain a maximum of 5 temporary hit points. By casting the cantrip Message as your action, you may instead distribute 15 temporary hit points to a nearby ally across three turns, regaining your choice of action next turn; usable once per encounter.
“Grandma was a Badass” (G.B.)
While raging, you gain advantage to wisdom and charisma saving throws. Outside of combat, you gain a bonus of +5 to wisdom based skill checks.
Forebearers’ Fate
At the 6th level, you gain a magical benefit based on the teachings of your mentoring ancestor. You can choose the same ancestor you selected at the 3rd level, or a different one.
“U.S.”
You gain the attributes of a renowned storyteller. Allies and enemies can no longer detect your usage of the cantrips Message and Friends. Additionally, you facilitate a tighter kinship of union among your party with your jokes, tales, and anecdotes.
“G.A.M.W.”
You gain the knowledge of local flora and fauna based medicines, as part of your ancestor’s continued research port-mortem. These remedies must be prepared and used outside of combat, curing minor afflictions, curses, and diseases, as well as potentially the amount of hit points equivalent to half of a short rest.
“G.B.”
You become a Natural Explorer, similar to the core functions of a ranger’s familiarity with the natural environment.
Divination of the Clan
Beginning at the 10th level, you gain access to the perks of The Third Eye, found in the wizarding School of Divination (see pgs. 116-117 of the PHB).
Gospel of Kinship
At the 14th level, you gain a magical benefit based on the teachings of your mentoring ancestor. You can choose the same ancestor you selected previously, or a different one.
“U.S.”
While you’re raging, an ally within 15 feet of you has an advantage to attack roles, including spellcasting. An enemy is immune to this effect if it can't see or hear you, or if it has modifiers to specific saving throws.
“G.A.M.W.”
You gain two spell slots of the 3rd level, and one spell slot of the 4th leveling. You may choose among the spells Longstrider, Barkskin, Darkvision, Daylight, Water Walk, or Freedom of Movement..
“G.B.”
You recover from broken bones with ungodly speed, reflected by your now permanent access to the spell Stoneskin’s effects, conditional upon your daily prayers to your grandmother every morning at dawn.
***

Bard: College of the Crystal Willow

The Gig: Bards of the College of the Crystal Willow are thoroughly intuitive to deep mental and spiritual pain within themselves and other sentient beings. This intuition can spark from an former trauma in the Bard’s life and experiences, though is nearly as equally persistent in the rare personality traits of empathic individuals who follow their intuition and research accordingly. Followers of this school are both highly sensitive and fiercely protective.
Students of this school maintain a balance of healing through active listening and reserved tokens of advice, not wishing to lecture according to the teachings of their birth culture, but instead enable those around them towards a path of resiliency, redemption, and self-improvement. They themselves echo the pain of others within their creative outlets, as well as offer respite with cherry-picked teachings from the vast collection of their open minds. The members of this college lean more towards a predisposition of natural wonders of the world over the artificial constructs of a so-called “civilized society.”

Leveling

We are not Shamans
Beginning at the 3rd level, you gain the feat Lucky for free, whether or not your campaign invokes the use of feats.
We are Rockstars
Beginning at the 6th leveling, you gain +2 to your passive AC, reflecting your thick skin towards criticism and personal faults.
We will Follow You
Beginning at the 10th level, your usages of Bardic Inspiration are doubled on or against targets with half or below their maximum hit point potential.
We can Guide You
Beginning at the 14th level, you gain a greater understanding in your word choices, grammar, and verb usage in charisma checks, enabling you to essentially take a mulligan on a low scoring charisma based skill check once per day or long rest. The DM will assist and interpret the role-playing aspect of this ability to their own discretion.
***

Warlock: Otherworldly Patron: Coven of the White Witches

The Juice: Your Patron enables your demi-divine ascension along an altruistic path. While you continue to acquire forbidden knowledge of dark and evil entities and locations throughout the known and unknown world, your actions drift towards practicing protection against such malfested manifestations. As such, you have limited knowledge beyond the teachings of the commonly taught wizarding schools of Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation (hereby abbreviated to School A, C, D, I, N, and T).

Leveling

Flunked Out Too Soon
Beginning at the 2nd level, you may choose among the perks of Arcane Ward (School A), Minor Conjuration, Portent (School D), Improved Minor Illusion, Grim Harvest modified for exclusive use against constructs and undead (School N), and Minor Alchemy.
Gone Your Own Way
Beginning at the 2nd level, you gain access to schools of magic that are normally limited to the Warlock class. At the 6th, 10th, and 14th level, when you gain a spell slot or the choice of a new spell, you may choose from any class, similar to the Bardic College of lore perk Additional Magical Secrets. You remain restricted to the Warlock class spell list for all other levels.
Slippery Victim
Beginning at the 6th level, you may choose among the perks of Benign Transposition (School C), Undead Thrall (reflavored to Undead Spirit, retaining prior classification), or Transmuter’s Stone. Your choice of perks must come from a different school than previously selected.
Forbidden Adept
Beginning at the 10th level, you may choose among the perks of Improved Abjuration (School A), Focused Conjuration, The Third Eye (School D), Illusory Self, Inured to Undeath (School N), and Shapechanger. Your choice of perks must come from a different school than selected at the 6th level, though you may repeat a specialization selected at the 2nd level.
Doctorate of Independent Study
Beginning at the 14th level, your affinity toward expert spellcasting allows you to choose a perk from previously restricted schools of expertise, including the schools of Enchantment and Evocation. You may choose among the perks of Spell Resistance (School A), Durable Summons, Alter Memories (School of Enchantment), Overchannel (School of Evocation), Illusionary Reality, or Master Transmuter. Your choice of perk is not restricted by prior selections.
***
PLAYERS, ARE YOU SICK OF BUILDING YOUR OWN CASTLE OR BUSINESS?
WELL NOW, YOU CAN BUILD, REMODEL, AND FUND YOUR OWN SENTO / ONSEN / BATH HOUSE SPA AND SAUNA, RIGHT HERE ON THE PLANE OF ICE. See doc. table on pg. 52.

Politics / Religion / Culture / Factions

(re: what do the inhabitants desire and value?)
Listed below are summations of what is officially available to off-planers under the Order of Cerulean’s Censorship pertaining to other factions surviving beyond the Order’s empire of caverns: Note that much of the Order’s knowledge on these factions is biased in such a way that feeds their propaganda of constant victory in their Ice Cavern Crusade, pitched as nearing its end, but rumored to have stagnated, or worse, even abandoned. It seems the fervor driving planar unity has lost it’s zeal, likely as a consequence of the Order’s continued involvement in inter-planar politics.

1. Blackglass Collective (Lawful Evil)
   1. A secret society spearheaded by a few competing mind flayers and their thralls
   2. Blackglass is known for its extreme magnetic properties, thus earning it the commonly translated nickname “Compassbane”
2. Cult of Frozen Blood (Chaotic Evil)
   1. A multi-racial society centered on raiding, blood sacrifice, ritualized cannibalism, and the veneration of grotesque biomatter effigies
   2. Thought to have been a perversion of an ancient fertility pantheon, misnomer-ly labeled as “old gods”
   3. Their mascot symbol is that of the Corrupted Deer Folk, who develop antlers protruding from their shoulders in place of their crowns
3. Githzerai Isolationists (Neutral); Githyanki Raiders (Neutral Evil)
   1. Astral Sea explorers, whose present and former structures almost certainly predate the arrival of undead to the plane
4. The Warlord Hiveminds of SteelStinger Insectoids (Chaotic Neutral)
   1. Primordial antagonists to Denisovans, as well as two races of Gith
   2. Gith control never seemed to extend to that of the Order of Ceruleans Empireistic reach, prior to and after the arrival of the undead. SteelStinger Hives, however, once pocketed the plane like holes in a honeycomb
   3. Hive Colonies can exceed metropolis sized complexes, generally oriented around a central shaft resembling a hurricane’s eye to the surface
   4. Steelstinger drones, workers, and soldiers resemble other insectoids such as the Thri-kreen, albeit with the addition of blade-like stationary wings. Their abdomen ends in a stinger resembling a drill bit. Their forearm appendages are thricely bulkier to their upper arm counterparts, suggesting an additional evolutionary appendage for excavation, though to what end nature makes itself redundantly incarnated is the subject of precious few debates, leading one perhaps to an outlier theory that is the horror of one competing species such as ourselves: that the Steelstinger Hives may have in fact uncovered some dark art method of bio-engineering, applying their revelations to the very generational fabric of their own species.
5. Denisovans — Frost Giants (Chaotic Neutral)
   1. See dedicated section above in Locals.

The Nine Nations

Please see doc. for more information scattered across many, many tables.
Table’s Contributing Author —
— Walrus Folk, Vince Tularoue the Third, Professional Comedian and Adept Sous Chef.
Crane Folk
Primary Value: Good fishermen ambush.
Secondary Value: Bad fishermen hunt
Fault or Crisis -- a) Beaks didn’t evolve to debate, did they? b) Low population struggling with genetic diversity.
Curiosity: Caves aren’t as great when you have wings
Politics -- Amicable with Beaver and Otter Folk, despite sharing overlapping territories. Hostile to Min-Yetis, who eat their avian eggs.
Beaver Folk (River Triad 1/3)
Primary Value: Breakfast is best served with coffee and calculus
Secondary Value: Dad always said, “what chew gonna do, sit there all day and watch your teeth grow?”
Fault or Crisis -- Tectonic shifts have damaged many of their oldest civic projects, causing them distress towards the mystery of their origin.
Curiosity: Call it projection or whatever, but something in their beady eyes tells me they could chew through my shin bone in about seven seconds flat, should they wish to.
Politics -- Strongest ties with the Otter and Walrus Nations, long since bannered under the River Triad. Beaver Folk are least impressed by the Rabbit Folk nomads. Oh, and they have a mutual respect with the Ceruleans by virtue of exchange of their shared Hydraulic technology
Yakadians -- Yak Folk
Primary Value: Always spouting woke shit like “The spirits of our ancestors will guide our people’s survival.”
Secondary Value: “These animated skeletons be wack, what the hell?” They tend to be more serious than that, however, as they know their way around a grass pipe.
Fault or Crisis -- Yakadians make repeated attempts to unite the nations, seeing the Undead Purge as a cyclical threat that will return. Their passion against the undead is fueled by the contradiction of the incarnation to their belief system of life after death
Curiosity: Yakadians make for eager clerics, paladins, shamans, and monks, often fulfilling the role of communicating with the spirit world on behalf of their community
Politics -- Longest on-again off-again ally status with Order of Ceruleans, who share a common enemy and dogma against undead reanimations, though Yakadians fault the Order for prioritizing Planar Politics over Underberg Unification
Deer Folk (normal)
Primary Value: Deer Folk practice and research medicine, drawing on their vast collective knowledge of polar botany.
Secondary Value: Best growers across the Nations, developing dozens of sub crop species of polar maize, winter squash, tunda tobacco, arctic kush, crystal willow, cave birch, and saxo-antler reeds.
Fault or Crisis -- They bury their dead across vast stretches of glacial snowdunescaping mounds, forming them into ornate patterns. These sites are often desecrated by corrupted Deer Folk and their faction of the Cult of Frozen Blood.
Curiosity: They gather and collect their fallen antlers, repurposing them into religious and musical instruments.
Politics -- They posses stronger relations with terrestrial folk, though do not invoke animosity to nations such as the Crane Folk or River Triad.
Deer Folk (corrupted) (not a recognized nation)
See the Cult of Frozen Blood, above. These folk have antlers erupting from their shoulder blades, in contrast to the the well-known crown of antlers found on most deer, elk, and moose.
Tabaxi -- See Volvo's Guide to Monsters, pgs. 113-115. Additional re-canon-izing here.
Primary Value: Wealth as a ration, to be stored away for hibernation
Secondary Value: The story behind a rare, mystical artifact.
Fault or Crisis -- Wanders of other planes, and former enslavers of the Rabbit Folk, to whom they continue payment of reparations.
Curiosity: The tabaxi express perhaps the widest variation of alignments, going through each as a phase in their so-called nine lives.
Politics -- Shaky with Crane Folk and Rabbit Folk; neutral with water triad, Staunch Friendship with Deer Folk and the Min-Yeti.
Walrus Folk (River Triad 2/3)
Primary Value: Armchair Academy, including armchair philosophy, artistry, comedy, and puppet theater.
Secondary Value: Counter Culture, Tragedy and Comedy
Fault or Crisis -- The artist Loufin Van Stash once thought cutting off his left tusk and gifting it to a pretty walrus would be romantic. It wasn’t.
Curiosity: The nation’s favorite sports include King of the IceBerg, and Otter Polo Spectating
Politics -- Walrus folk complete the River Triad, though hailing from the surface oceans. They openly mock most lacking their stout stature.
Otter Folk (River Triad 3/3)
Primary Value: Stay away from my clam!
Secondary Value: I like rivers, do you like rivers? Here, dis be bestest river map eva, you pay me back, yes?
Fault or Crisis -- A surprisingly moody, rude, and brash — but also quite clever and cute — group of sentients.
Curiosity: Their origin story involves a Promethean demigod delivering to them both a clam and a hard rock.
Politics -- Otter Folk tend to be a polarizing force among other nations and clans, altering their friendships and rivalries as frequently as the river adjusts and corrects its flow
Min-Yetis
Primary Value: "OHMYGOSH;" "HIIIIIIIIIIIII." Min-yetis are generally content with life the way it is, so long as it’s with company.
Secondary Value: "Hungry! Excited! New Friends!" Min-yeti’s were once renowned astronomers, with some stories saying they fell into a sort of madness after extended confinement in caves, possibly explaining their current difficulty in expressing their more complex observations.
Fault or Crisis -- Min-Yetis are seen as overly trusting in disposition, leading to their manipulation by more nefariously minded “friends.” Other nations may or may not refer to their perceived stupidity.
Curiosity: "Why do I put up with you?" Min-Yeti prefer traveling and trading petty trinkets in lieu of studying or crafting goods. They make decent bodyguards, enforcers, and bouncers, given patiently extensive training programs
Politics -- Min-yeti delight in chasing Crane Folk, shouting “TALL, WEIRD, AROO AROO AROOOOOOOOOO.” They also enjoy eating Crane Folk egg yolks, having formally raided the nation in many brutal skirmishes over the centuries.
Rabbit Folk
Primary Value: Down the rabbithole? Wait until you see this hat trick — Rabbit Folk have a natural affinity to finding and creating portals.
Secondary Value: Fiercely anti-Tabaxi, their former enslavers.
Fault or Crisis -- have a predisposition to self-isolation policies.
Curiosity: Rabbit Folk are masters of portal hopping, and display a natural affinity to the arcane.
Politics -- Rabbit Folk often struggle to find a common ground with other nations, save for the Yakadians, whom they hold in fraternal esteem, and the Deer Folk, which they barter agricultural practices with.
***

Fin (/s) — Addtl. 20 pages of Surface Layer Content

Expansion — Surface Setup
Open World Surface Layer

Epilogue Preview:

Homebrew Ecology Table -- see doc. pgs. 68-76, including loot, alchemy components, trade goods, and cultural significance.
Surface Table of Locations -- including half canon, half homebrew, see doc. pgs. 77-78
Surface Table of Mysteries -- see doc. pgs. 79-82.
Arctic Fauna (Botany) Table -- see doc. pgs. 83-85.
Ice Fishing Table -- see end of doc.

Actual Fin

The End

​

This post is dedicated to the current entities of awareness: Gabrielle White Bear, Allison Childs, Nancy Jane, and Kelsey Yunker, all powerful spirits incarnated as females of varying degrees of indigenous heritage. Given another chance, this user would gladly take the lessons gained in the present to that of yesterday, given another lifelong scenario of “Groundhog Day)” repetition. Thank you so much for reading, and to the mod team for their advice. Happy belated Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly known as Columbus Day) as well as early celebration of the day of giving thanks, here in the USA on 26 Nov. 2020! All the well wishes to those in stress and suffering during our current political, environmental, and pandemic-based global crisis ~

• Editor “Corrupted” Mind Flayer, Izu Kafka, and user Foen7, Izu’s Thrall

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
-Mark Twain-

When a new campaign starts, I sometimes get scenarios like this at the table:

DM: So if we would look at your character, what would we see?
Player: Uhm, a Halfling Rogue.
DM: What does this Halfling look like?
Player: You know, short. Has leather armor.
DM: What does the armor look like?
Player: Uhm… Brown.

That’s not very descriptive or interesting, is it? As far as that description goes, this Halfling might as well have a plain leather corset on and is butt-naked when it comes to anything else. Plus, nobody can see that this character is what they call a Rogue, we can only assume what it’s good at depending on what it’s equipped with. When it comes to first impressions, this won’t do. Being aware of how one dresses themselves can open up a ton of improvements and positive possibilities.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not encouraging five-minute-long detailed descriptions such as in the My Immortal fanfiction nor am I going to give you a list of clothing articles and fashion faux-pas. I’m not an expert, I’m just a guy who read The Kinowear Bible among other guides and learned that the details matter while still being free to express yourself with confidence. What matters here is how your character is portrayed and how it expresses what’s on the inside.
The third note is that it’s a fantasy game and not medieval reenactment. I’m not bashing people over the head with facts nor am I saying that it is essential to do this in order to have fun. But will you know if you haven’t tried it? Would you be satisfied with a plain description in the long run? Would people treat your character better if they see that it takes care of itself? There’s only one way to find out and that’s to try it for yourself.

The Difference Between Equipped And Wearing

See, the most important parts are the ones that are unseen. The wings don’t make you fly, and the crown don’t make you king.
-Lupe Fiasco-

The equipment that your character is wearing is only the most broadly defined bare minimum of items that it wears. When you say you’re wearing armor, is it a bunch of shiny metal plates or is it a set of chains? And even if it is chainmail, is it just chains everywhere, is it with a tabard, or is it completely covered with some hints towards it? Clothing is more than what you slap onto your body. Clothing wraps around the body and you are free to add some articles if it doesn’t influence the rules of the game. Armor is mostly about what is on the torso, you’re free to add some headwear or cloth to it. Nowhere in the books will it say that you have to add ‘eye patch’, ‘scarf’, or ‘glasses’ onto your character sheet. And nobody will object to adding such a detail. Your character lived longer than the initial creation, so it’s fine to look a bit further beyond the bare-bones items that it gets.
In order to add more interesting details to items and articles, you need to do some homework. Yes, you’re playing a game, not doing homework, but it’s not really homework homework. If you have an idea or want to expand on something, then history has the answers for you. Most fantasy settings are close to the end of the medieval era. Knights in armor didn’t exist for long and cities stopped building walls when the cannon was invented. But you can bet that if it existed, people found a way to make it work. Many clothing articles have different names and I can’t name them all, so it’s up to you to increase your knowledge and vocabulary to paint a picture in someone else’s mind.

Morphology

I’m more proud of my upper body. Let’s just say I’m a typical female in that way.
-Erika Christensen-

We are born with a body and we’re stuck with it until we die. Every body comes in differing shapes and sizes but it can develop changes in the span of time depending on how it is treated. A lot of people like to think that there is a single line from fat to muscular, this is unfortunately false. You can be muscular and fat at the same time. The bodybuilders you see have largely developed muscles and a low body fat percentage. Exercise alone doesn’t turn fat into muscles. So from that, what is your character’s morphology? Race tends to favor certain body shapes. Halflings are short with curly hair and have a big belly, Elves are lithe and their hair is straight, Dwarves are stout, broad, and tough, and Humans can be anything in between.

Body Types

Body types come in generally three categories: Ectomorphic, Mesomorphic, and Endomorphic. Ectomorphic bodies have a relatively fast metabolism, are skinny, and have little muscle development. This body has trouble developing muscle more than trying to stay skinny. Endomorphic bodies, on the other hand, have a slow metabolism and can easily gain weight but also muscle. They need to watch their calorie intake and do more cardio in order to get in shape. And then we have the Mesomorphic type which is that category in between. A balanced metabolism allows for regular training but also gets none of the benefits. All of these types can get fit, yet need adjusted methods of getting in shape and even then it’s relative how ‘in shape’ will look like.
A woman’s body goes beyond this. Their body language is more dynamic, fluent, and inter-combinational and their bodies accommodate that with general shapes called Hourglass, Rectangle, Apple, Pear, and Triangle. The trick to dealing with this is to put emphasis on visual weight. If you put a scarf on, it will guide the eyes more to the torso and away from the hips. Yet, if you have a large bust and small hips then it will look top-heavy. So take a purse instead to even that out. The same works with bright colors and patterns.

Faces

Faces are very diverse and are used by humans to recognize each other. The most common misconception that I’ve heard is that people with long hair are women and someone can only be a man if they have a stubble. It really goes to much more detail than this as there are masculine men with long hair and hardly a stubble on their chin. Gender can show itself in many ways such as the protrusion of the brow, the size of the nose bridge, the roundness/roughness of the law line, the thickness of the eyebrows, the length of the eyelashes, and possibly the appearance of an adam’s apple. You can recognize a gender at first glance most of the time even when the person’s head is completely shaved.
Even if you’re not so hot on the details or describing faces, you can still pick from the following shapes: round, square, oval, heart, diamond, oblong, and triangle. These faces can exist through the combination of the jawline, cheekbones, and forehead shape. They only work on human-like faces, though. A Dwarf would have a more rugged bone structure and a strong nose bridge, an Elf would have more refined features, and a Gnome would have a remarkably large nose. So next time when describing the face, you can just set for a shape, mention the eyes and hair, and the rest are details.
Hair, though, is seen as four colors: blonde, red, brown, and black. This is also from a human perspective, and it’s heavily generalized. Plenty of people with dark hair are thought to have black hair, but it’s actually very dark brown. Some hair seems light brown but is called dark blonde which falls under a gold-colored category. You don’t need to go into such detail, but mentioning if the character has platinum blonde and dirt blonde hair can add to the picture. The same can be said of hair types. Where is your character’s hair from straight to curly? How is it kept? And what does it do to the overall shape of the face?

Fit, Quality, and Cut

Style = (Knowledge + Fun) ^Originality
-Kinowear Bible-

Ask anyone about the three most essential parts about clothing and they might tell you color, size, and price. It’s understandable where that comes from, but it’s not entirely right. If the clothes are of the right fit, the right quality, and the right cut, then you can debate over the color and the price.

Fit

What I mean by the fit is that it fits the body as exactly as possible. The shoulder seams should be at the corners of the shoulders, the pants should fit with the extra space of two finger widths, a hat is not meant to squeeze the head tight or fall in front of the eyes.
A smaller size can look constricted and easily tears. People with clothes that are too small look like they are about to pop out and constantly feel like they are suffocating. People who wear clothing that is too large look awkward and give off a strong sign that they don’t know what they are doing in the social sense.

Quality

Quality is about the material. Pinch your clothing and rub it between your fingers, now look for a different article of clothing and do the same. Do they feel the same? Look at the label to see what it is made of. Try to see which ones are more expensive and if there is any detail added to the fabric. Chances are that the finer articles have softer fabrics weaved in the threads. You can feel it, see it, and notice it by how strong the color is of the article.
The moment the cotton gin was invented, people could finally wear clothing that wasn’t made from itchy wool but from the more breathable and softer cotton extract. Cotton clothing existed in medieval times but the plants were harder to manage in winter, most people had to work with wool, linen, silk, hemp, fur, and leather. Any of these can be combined and woven in different ways, but the price of the material could still be favored by those who could afford it.

Cut

The cut is often confused with the size. You can have skinny fit, slim fit, regular fit, and baggy fit with all the exact same size but they still feel different or some might not fit at all. You can have short but broad legs so skinny fit won’t be a good choice, and buying a large size and argue that it’ll be baggy anyway is a poor excuse.
It’s important to know what the occasion is for the clothing. Work clothes can get dirty and might tear at the seams so it’s better to keep it short and easy to move in. Ballroom clothes are not for hard labor but for grabbing attention so it’s fine if it hangs loose or tight in places if worn for just one day.

Warrior vs Mage

Let me say whichever superhero first came up with the idea of wearing a cape, he wasn’t really onto anything good. The number of times I’m treading on that damn thing or I throw a punch and it ends up covering my whole head. It’s really not practical.
-Christian Bale-

This is a detail that is often ignored for cinematic reasons but I want to address it. If you are a rough-and-tumble dirty-fingernail kind of warrior, then wearing any loose garb or accessory is an easy hazard to get grabbed or caught on. Imagine having a dangling earring and someone just yanks at it, possibly tearing your ear in half. The same counts for hair, tails, scarfs, and dangling belts. Yes, it looks cool and is done for cinematic reasons such as dynamic movements, but for the sake of congruency, make your warrior have the least amount of dangly bits as possible. Keep hair short or tie it up, keep belts tucked in, tuck pendants underneath the shirt, and leave that armor dress for festive occasions.
What is wrong with this picture? No, it’s not the anatomy. It’s not the magic. It’s not the environment, either. It’s the chest. Any woman who has practiced archery will know what I mean. If she would’ve held that bowstring any further back, she’d whip it against her chest on release, cutting off flesh and risking a misfire. It is said that the women of the amazon would amputate their right breast in order to become an archer. Yet, I recommend a chest guard for such things. There is a certain awe and strength in feminine beauty and wild chaotic combat that demands focus, causes bleeding, and inflicts pain is no place for someone who is dressed in a delicate manner. Plenty of media force feminine power as showing off skin or having an intimidating sex appeal. Yet what is really important when trying to portray physical beauty is the silhouette. You can be dressed for the occasion and still show off the goods. Sure, it’s not as elegant as a ball gown, but that’s not what armor is meant for. (Don’t worry, Samus, you’re a babe no matter what you wear.)
Does that mean that mages get more freedom in what they’re wearing? Well, yes and no. Armor is constricting, can weigh down delicate movements, restricts breathing, and doesn’t even have pockets to boot. In order to wear armor you need to train and get used to how to move in it. Most mages don’t have the time for such training. So you will see mages either in loose robes or perhaps common clothes in order not to look too conspicuous.
Another aspect of how mages dress is because they are associated with ceremonies. What they wear usually symbolizes something such as purity, a connection to the mystical, a dedication to the practice, or the tools necessary to perform the casting of a spell. It’s sometimes worn to drive the mystical feeling of it home.

Color

I had a man come to me and he said, ‘Bob, I could never paint because I’m colorblind.’ So I thought today we’d do a picture in gray, just to show you that anyone can paint.
-Bob Ross, The Joy of Painting S2E4-

Back in medieval times, being able to dye your clothing in a certain color was almost a luxury. Even the ability to dye drab white wool to a true stark white was a symbol of status. The materials needed to create dye ranged from wood bark to onion skins. Truly strong colors that lasted longer took longer to make and with more expensive methods. Strong bright red and green were often considered royal colors that were only allowed by nobility to wear. And then there’s purple, made from the guts of sea snails which were hard to find and would offer a steep price. This is why very few national flags have purple in them. So the common folk did have colors, but they were often drab, faded, and the poorest had common colors such as dull gray, boring beige, wool white, and dirty brown.
Nowadays, the darker you can make your clothing look, the more expensive it looks. Adding a darker tone to color means mixing more dye into it. Expensive clothing has a good dye technique that can set the dye strongly in the fabric. Cheap clothing is often cheaply dyed and looks a bit drab and gray-ish. Whatever you are going for, being completely in black might sound cool but isn’t stylish at all. Even assassins would add something to it.
Combining colors shouldn’t be rocket science. You can always start with the combinations of white, grey, black, blue, and brown in any combination. Combining these colors is safe and hard to mess up, but it will also result in some bland outfits. You can also add any color to the mix (except with brown which might be harder to combine with some colors) and still match without clashing.
Men are aesthetically challenged in this regard as understated colors work better for them while women are free to wear plenty of brighter colors. If you want to know what I mean by understated, it’s any color that’s either a dark or pale version of a color or something most men don’t know the name of. Anything bright needs to be toned down for men. So if you want to go for something yellow, either make it very small/hidden or an understated version such as ochre, gold, or dijon. You still need to counter-balance a bright color with a neutral color to even it out. The brighter it is, the more you need other neutral articles to tone it down.
As a rule of thumb, choose an uneven number of colors, either one, three, or five. If you pick one, make sure that it is in different tones. If you pick five, make sure that two colors match the eyes, hair, or skin. Ensure that bright colors are the smallest part of the overall look, a bit like how red apples look nice on a big green tree but not the other way around. It is possible to combine complementing colors such as red and green so that the red pops out a bit more, but balancing complementing colors needs a refined sense and a good eye. You need to get the right balance in order to get yellow and purple or orange and blue right.
Characters with a naturally dark appearance are in luck. They can wear very bright colors as it won’t clash with their natural body. So if they don’t need to hide in the shadows, they can wear pastels and loud colors and still look fine.

Culture

There are two things in the world I can’t stand: People who are intolerant of other people’s cultures... and the Dutch!
-Nigel Powers, Goldmember-

Take a close look at the culture that your character’s race has. Every part of culture and natural ability can be reflected in their native clothing. Tolkien described the halflings as wearing bright clothing in order to stand out to the larger folk, they have deft fingers that allow for a lot of fine motor skills, and they value a good meal from their pastoral environment. Can that influence someone’s outfit? You tell me. The same can be said of Tolkien’s elves who are adept at weaving and creating delicate ornaments. They think highly of themselves because they outlive many other folks and learn more lessons than any other. Everything about their look is about being slender. Their clothing accentuates all of this. The orcs from the Warcraft franchise are wild and value strength first and foremost. They don’t use a lot of complex plans or strategies as their muscles usually make up for whatever they lack. Lastly, Thrall’s orcs settled on wild plains with beasts. This all brings us to this style choice.
Clothing is made from what is available in the environment, from sheep, cows, plants, silk, metal, or bone. Realize that you are wearing a combination of plant and/or animal materials right now (unless you’re reading this naked). Color and patterns can create some flair or lead the eyes of others to the overall body in a certain way. And details can accentuate an effect or drive home the heritage of a person.
The same can be done with any item. A dwarven ax would look practical, angular, heavy, with an ancestors face on it, and made from deep purified steel. An elven ax would look slender, tapering to a point like their ears, sharp, and perhaps made of thick glass, a well-placed swing would cut something clean off. An orcish ax would be made of rock and bone, be dirty, chipped, and would rend off flesh if used with enough force. Even a human ax might look plain, but can still be described as made of steel with a wooden shaft, has a round edge, and is decorated with a symbol of their kingdom. With this information, you can’t have the excuse of having a non-descriptive weapon.

Re-Skinning

Guard: “You’ll kill us… with a soup cup?”
Riddick: ”Tea, actually.”
Guard: ”What’s that?”
Riddick: ”I’ll kill you with my teacup.”
-The Chronicles of Riddick, 2004-

I said it before and I’ll say it again. Don’t call your Fighter a fighter. If it’s a soldier, let it be a soldier. If it’s a gladiator, let it be a gladiator. If it’s an executioner, let it be an executioner. All their outfits and weapons look differently. All their methods and backgrounds are different. They tell a story just by existing. But there might not be a single difference in how the class works. A class is not to dictate what your character is, but to support what kind of character you want to play. It’s a classification for the sake of clarity. Whatever it’s classified as, look for a theme and draw your inspiration from that.
The same can be done with races. Don’t let the handbooks fool you, whatever is shown in the image is but a speck of the possibilities of how a creature looks. Your Aarakocra can look like a secretary bird, a parrot, or perhaps a bearded vulture. The fact that they are called eagle-people is not that important. What’s important is that they are bird folk, and still act and feel like bird folk when played.
Character re-skinning is the same as a DM’s re-skinning. However, as a player, you can’t break the rules. You can’t simply switch fire damage to force damage just because you want it to. So try to separate the name of whatever it is but keep the mechanics and how they would feel when in use. For example, a club can be a leg bone if wielded by a savage, a rolling pin if wielded by a baker, or a ladle if wielded by a chef. The Grasping Vines spell can be done with literal vines but also with roots or kelp depending where you are.
It’s not about what it is, but about how it feels. And how it feels is supported by the rules (the crunch) and what it is can be done by the description (the fluff). You can change the fluff in a lot of ways, and sometimes you need to ask your DM for it or get some inspiration from the setting. Either way, what is on the character sheet isn’t set in stone and doesn’t need to be cut-and-dried.
The art lies in harmonizing all the elements to create something congruent. A perfect example is from @joennizart, not only for her artistic skill, but her concept as well! It is a Warforged Wizard made of porcelain. A Wizard is usually frail and initially not meant for brute combat, just like a porcelain doll. It is still a humanoid construct made from plates and wires, but it all matches and makes something with a unique and plausible look. So forget the images and wordings, those are more guidelines than rules. Try to find the essential parts as the rest is a matter of cosmetics.

Accessories

Wear an unusual accessory to complete your outfit.
-Chelsea Leyland-

Any added accessories should be about 5%-10% of the overall body. As a rule of thumb, consider anything other than the naked body and what it wears on the chest, legs, and feet as an accessory. This means that any bracelet, chain, pendant, pair of glasses, belt, gloves, cape, or head gear is an accessory. Anything I didn’t mention can be brought down to: If it’s worn on the wrists, on the head, on the fingers, or in a pocket, then it’s an accessory.
Nearly everyone in the medieval times wore a hat to protect themselves from the heat or keep things out of their hair. Plus, it is a way to show status or a certain function. Taking off someone else their hat was seen as a grave offense or even assault. Nowadays, a hat is taken for many reasons but not always worn for function. Some dislike the concept of hats because it hides the face, making others hard to recognize (and thus hard to trust). And in movies you will see the main character not wear a helmet because it will hide facial expressions and muffle the voice. Yet, fighting without a helmet is a one-way street to get a massive concussion if you’re lucky.
I count tattoos, piercings, and scars as accessories as well. Because you can overdo them. Sure, it’s possible to create an ostentatiously dressed character or embrace the sword and sorcery full body jewelry style. But that still depends on the character and the setting. They’re like the cherry on a sorbet, the dot on an ‘i’, or a ticking clock in a room. More of it doesn’t make it better.
When using metal of any kind, make sure that the metal matches overall. Precious metals come in two basic kinds: gold colored and silver colored. These also need to match the overall color scheme so combining gold with yellow might not be a good idea because it clashes in a strange way, but you can combine gold with green or blue. A shiny metal belt buckle would match any silver-colored items, which can restrict your choices if you take it seriously.
Scars and tattoos tell a story, and even if your character doesn’t start off with them, there might be a moment to obtain them down the line. People will one day ask about them, so be ready to think about why/how your character has it. It could’ve been because of an accident, because it symbolizes something, or it will always remind you of people that you have lost. If you’re wondering if I’m talking about tattoos or scars here, the answer is yes. Even if you have a character with skin that doesn’t hold ink, you could find a way to brand or carve it if you want.

Signs

A knight in shining armor is a man who never had his metal truly tested.
-Unknown-

Did you know that the wearing signs of your pants are as telling about you as a fingerprint? The way you use your items are as idiomatic as yourself. The bite marks on a pen, the stains on a computer screen, the shrunken clothing, the ancient pencil case, the socks that are falling apart, the pants that went out of style twenty years ago, the faded red sweater, or the expired condom in a wallet can say something about a person without even saying a word. Your character has lived a few years, so entering the game with a complete set of brand-spanking-new items is somewhat strange. They might seem new to you, but the character has had some of these for quite some time.
Your backstory and items that you get can do this little narrative dance during character creation. Perhaps your character is granted a certain object but then you can think about how it is treated by this character. Otherwise, a character might be complete with an accessory because something might’ve happened in the past. Or you get an item and you don’t know why, but with a little bit of thought and searching you will get the reasoning behind it or give some reasoning to it.
Both ability scores and a backstory can help you out with these details. A clumsy person might have scraped knees or a patch on their eye. A muscular person might have ripped off sleeves because they were too tight. A poor person might have their clothes held together with a rope rather than a belt. Nobody else knows about the reasons behind these details at first glance and they don’t need to. It’s all part of getting through that process of knowing the party better.

Examples

The following examples are given to make clear that it’s not necessary to add each and every tip to your character. It’s okay to leave things out if they aren’t relevant or they don’t stand out. Just know that it should always be more than ‘Halfling Rogue in brown leather armor’. You get one shot to paint a picture, and a class alone doesn’t paint that picture. So each paragraph is a character, read on and I hope that it will give you new insights in how to give some extra flair to your creation.
A chubby looking Human wearing wool robes that are two times too large for him, he has a round face with glasses that magnify his eyes and a floppy pointed hat. He is holding a bunch of bound papers with him.
A young strawberry blonde-haired Half-Elf wearing a pastel turquoise frilly dress and holding a matching parasol. She has a disarming smile on her face but a sharp look in her green eyes. She is dwarfed by two muscular bodyguards she has with her. Both show a blank expression on their faces.
A Minotaur with long ruddy-brown hair like a Scottish Highland cow, he is covered in chainmail armor with shoulder pads that seems to be scratched and dented as if someone scraped him over the cobblestones. His tattered tabard shows a cities’ symbol. His hair is covering his eyes and his horns hang low. The way he walks has this awkward gait to it, as if the upper body is swaying back and forth.
A Human with pale skin, dark straight hair, and brown eyes. She is wearing a sleeping gown covered with a blanket over her shoulders. She is nervously looking around while clutching a religious symbol close to her chest. In her left hand she holds a clean but dented bedpan.
An Eladrin with a faint blue skin and snow-white hair wearing a long gray coat with a high collar at the neck. His face is angular and gaunt with a sorrowful expression. In his hand he is holding a blue slender sword covered in rime and it has a handle made of black tree branches.
A young Kalashtar who looks pale with tired eyes. She has ruffled silver hair and is wearing a plain purple skirt with a black vest. When you approach her she looks at you and you get a faint mental image of a writhing shadow on a stark horizon.
A Halfling wearing a green tunic over chainmail and is sitting on top of a Bernese Mountain dog. In his left hand he’s holding a pot lid and in his right a miner’s pick axe. His face is round with blonde hair and blue eyes. On his head he is wearing a pot like a helmet. Both he and his dog have a badge made of gold in the shape of an apple.
A Human of Asian descent clad in lacquered red leather armor plates. She has a stern and serious look on her face which is painted with make-up to make it look stark white with small red lips. Her black hair is held back tight by a top knot. She is carrying a glaive with her.
A Warforged made out of parts that are of different metals, some slightly larger than the other. Its face is completely asymmetrical with a broad copper jawline contrasting the steel face and different colored eyes, one blue, one green. The way it walks is slightly tilting with each left step. Attached to its right arm is a straight blade.
A Halfling wearing a white suit made of thick cloth with brown leather gloves with a honey comb shaved on the back and big brown boots. HeHis head is covered by a hood with a round windowed mask made of basket weaving with an attached halfling pipe. HeHis presence is met with a constant low buzzing. On hehis back (s)he is carrying a bee house.
A round-faced Goblin dressed in a patched-up brown thespian’s costume wearing a purple cap with a lyre pipe. His right hand is covered with a sock-puppet that has buttons for eyes, one of them is dangling loose.
A Human in a neat black form-fitting dress that has her blonde hair woven perfectly back and has small button earrings in the shape of skulls. She looks prim and proper walking with her back straight and with a calm but alert expression. And for a moment you could swear you saw a faint visage of a waving child behind her.
A big muscular Tortle that resembles an Alligator Snapping turtle with a razored black shell. His neck has two red spots and around it he’s wearing a necklace with a carved wooden symbol of a shell. His arms and legs are covered in small spines. His claws are long and sharp.
A skittish looking Centaur with the small frame and colors of a doe. Her chestnut brown wavy hair hangs loose except for one braided part held with beads and is parted by two nub horns on her forehead. She wears a white robe on her torso with a dark green stola over her shoulders.
A lumbering Loxodon covered in brown fur with massive tusks. His left eye is closed and shows a visible claw mark on it. His right ear has a sharp bone pierced through it. His lower body is covered with a green with yellow kilt that has the skull of a deer on it. He is holding a long maul in his hands with a head made out of solid stone.
A green-and-blue scaled Lizardwoman with a spike ridge on her head and circled scales at the point of her jawline like that of an iguana. Strapped over her torso is a black-scaled harness with a set of tiny fangs and a dried up blow fish. She has a rectangular plate made of bone pierced in her lower lip and wears a leather bracelet covered with symbols on her tail. She is holding a long blowpipe made of bamboo.

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