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Ratling-Catcher Trap

st tier (
Challenge
DC
Area
(less than 1 hour)

The passage features two gates made of metal bars; the first is open while the second, 10 feet farther down the passage, is closed.

The second (farther) gate is locked. When a creature jostles, hits, or tries to open or close either gate, a Failure is triggered.

Gates. Both gates are objects with AC 19, 30 hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage, and a damage threshold of 10. The gaps between the bars are 6 inches wide. Each gate bears a lock that automatically engages when the gate is closed. An Engineering or Investigation check, or an examination of the hinges, reveals that jostling a gate could set off mechanisms built into the hinges.

A single key unlocks both gates. The trap is disabled while the key is in either lock.

Spell Solve. Knock opens one gate.

Possible Solutions
  • A creature can make a Strength check to bend or break a gate’s bars, creating a space wide enough to allow passage.
  • A creature can make a thieves’ tools check to unlock a gate. On a critical success, the creature unlocks the gate, allowing that gate to be opened and closed without triggering a Failure.
  • A creature can make an Engineering check to disable the mechanism on one gate, allowing it to be opened and closed without triggering a Failure. On a critical success, the gate is also unlocked.
  • A Sleight of Hand check allows a creature to open or close an unlocked gate without triggering a Failure.
  • A creature can make an Acrobatics check to contort through the bars.

Potential Outcomes

Critical Failure or Failure. If either gate is open or unlocked, it swings shut and locks. When a gate closes, a creature within 5 feet of it can make a Strength saving throw . On a failure, the gate closes and locks as usual. On a success, the character prevents the gate from closing this turn, although the trap is still active. A large, sturdy object propped in the gateway also prevents the gate from closing.

Success or Critical Success. The creature succeeds in their attempt.