D&D 5E Easter eggs in D&D

[Lanliss]

So the other day I was reading some spell descriptions, just for fun. I reached the spell "Pass wall" (or pass through wall? Something like that), and the component was a Sesame seed. This gave me a good laugh, and I wondered how many other Easter eggs like this there might be, or inside jokes, in the books. Preferably only the rule books, as Easter eggs from adventures might give spoilers. I can only imagine how many there could be in the MM.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

That's a tradition that goes back at least to AD&D, which had things like a small ring as a component to casting Shocking Grasp (as in, a Joy Buzzer).

 

[77IM]

A lot of spell components are like that. If I recall, the material component of tasha's hideous laughter is a feather, because it's like you're tickling someone; the component of sleep is sand, like the sandman; the components of fireball are bat guano, sulfur, and charcoal -- the ingredients of gunpowder.

There are lots of Easter eggs in the DMG and MM too. Go read the table of "Inn Names" (or maybe it's "Tavern Names") in the DMG, it's got like 3-4 Easter eggs just in that one table.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Definitely a lot of Easter eggs in the spell components.

 

[Yardiff]

Adnd ESP spell component was a copper piece, penny for your thoughts.

 

[Illithidbix]

Fireball requires bat guano and sulfur.
Two key components of (crude) gunpowder.

And because fireball is what you want when you want to go properly batsh...

 

[Wuzzard]

Spell component for Gust of Wind is a legume seed, aka a "bean"

 

[Edwin Suijkerbuijk]

THAC0. See attack roll.
is in the PHB index.

 

[pukunui]

The trinket table is full of Easter eggs! There's a 9 volt battery and MJ's glove and stuff like that.

 

[mflayermonk]

There was a Dragon (one of the April Fool's issues) article way back with "Mundane Cantrips" that were things like Eagle's Sight with a material component of eye glasses.