The Bailiff's Lash | Fantasy Hazard Generated by CharGen

The hazard

This concealed street mechanism turns a routine crossing into a sudden arrest. A pressure plate releases a ratcheted chain that whips around the bollard and snaps taut across the lane, sweeping feet from under anyone nearby. The blow is loud enough to draw attention, and the chain remains stretched across the street until its ratchet is reset.

Mechanical
Trap

Stealth: +13 (trained) to notice the pressure plate and concealed chain socket
Trigger: A creature of at least Small size steps on the pressure plate in the lane.
Disable: Thievery (expert) to jam the ratchet or Crafting to dismantle it. Two successes are required. Each check takes 2 actions. A critical success counts as two successes; a critical failure triggers the hazard.
Initiative: +13
Routine: The hazard has no routine. When triggered, it makes one attack with Ratchet-Chain Sweep, then becomes inactive until reset.
Reset: The hazard resets after 10 minutes if the chain is returned to its socket. A creature can reset it manually with 2 Interact actions.

Damage

Immunities

critical hits, object immunities

Effects

1

Ratchet-Chain Sweep
DC 21
The chain lashes across the lane. The triggering creature and each creature in a 10-foot line from the bollard attempt a basic Reflex save. The hazard deals bludgeoning damage. On a failure, a creature is also knocked prone. On a critical failure, it is knocked prone and immobilized by the chain until it Escapes with a check or the chain is released.

Special rules

Narrow Street Arc.The hazard affects creatures in a 10-foot line extending from the bollard along the lane. The line must be unobstructed when the hazard triggers.

Caught in the Chain.The chain remains stretched across the lane after the attack, creating difficult terrain. A creature that critically failed its save remains immobilized until it Escapes or another creature releases the ratchet.

Spotting it

Discovery

A creature that Seeks the lane can spot the narrow pressure plate and chain socket with a Perception check.

Perception

+11

Stop it

Signs of dangerA thin seam crosses the cobbles in a suspiciously straight line. · The lower stones near the bollard are polished smooth by repeated chain movement. · Small iron filings and scraps of leather collect beside the chain socket.

Countermeasures

DC 19A creature can avoid triggering the hazard by succeeding at a Acrobatics check to cross the marked stretch without putting weight on the pressure plate.
A creature adjacent to the bollard can spend an Interact action to wedge a sturdy object into the chain socket. This prevents the hazard from attacking until the wedge is removed.
DC 21A creature can disable the mechanism with two successful Thievery checks. Each check takes 2 actions. A critical success counts as two successes, while a critical failure triggers the hazard.
DC 19A creature can disable it with two successful Crafting checks by opening and dismantling the street-side ratchet housing. Each check takes 2 actions. A critical failure triggers the hazard.
The pressure plate can be triggered safely from at least 10 feet away by placing a heavy object on it or striking it with a long tool.

In short

Spot the chain socket before crossing, then jam the ratchet, immobilize the bollard, or take a safer route.

Its story

What it looks like

A cast-iron street bollard stands beside a narrow lane, its base ringed by a heavy chain that disappears into a slotted stone socket.

Why it is here

To stop, trip, and briefly restrain people moving quickly through a narrow street.

Who made it

An anonymous city foundry, later modified by a watch engineer who wanted a quiet way to stop fleeing suspects.

Lore

The design began as a foundry safety device for restraining runaway carts.

Where it is found

Urban streets, alleys, courtyards, and market lanes

Variants

A watchhouse version uses a padded chain and deals nonlethal damage, but its trigger also rings a bell audible several blocks away.

A smugglers' version is fitted with hooked links. Its sweep deals piercing damage instead of bludgeoning damage, and the chain can snag a dropped item.

A decayed version has a lower disable DC of 19, but on a critical failure the rusted chain snaps unpredictably and the triggering creature takes 1d6 slashing damage.

Plot hooks

A neighborhood claims the watch has reactivated a line of old bollards to control who can leave after curfew.

A fleeing courier deliberately crosses a trapped lane, expecting the party to follow and spring the mechanism.

The ratchet housing contains a stamped foundry mark that links the device to a supposedly disbanded private security company.

Media

0 images

No images yet.

Visual sheet

Turn The Bailiff's Lash into a sheet

A high-res, share-ready sheet you can post or print.