D&D Homebrew Rake Monster Is Simpsons’ Sideshow Bob’s Worst Nightmare

A Dungeons & Dragons DM just shared a new homebrew monster they’ve created, and many people are pointing out its similarities to a classic Simpsons scene. The monster, dubbed “Invisible Rake,” conjures for many the image of Sideshow Bob stepping on a rake over and over, and is the perfect sort of monster for a DM to cause chaos within their party.

Homebrew content in D&D has always been popular within the community – it allows DMs to flex their creativity outside the official game content, and explore new unique content within their campaigns. Homebrew creations can cover a vast array of in-game features, from new creatures and spells to entirely new worlds. These homebrew campaigns often take inspiration from other elements of pop culture, with DMs creating D&D campaigns that include elements like popular superheroes, famous video game monsters, or classic movie settings. Like any creative gaming community, players then often take to the internet to share their creations, inspire others, and encourage even more homebrewed play.

Twitter user stayonyourcouch shared their own hilarious homebrewed monster this week: a sentient rake they said they made to “annoy their players.” Other players were quick to point out that the creature has some serious damage potential. Of course, more so than any unexpecting party member, the character that may have the most to fear from this creation is Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons. A joke first appearing in The Simpsons Season 5, Episode 2, “Cape Feare,” the gag features a long sequence of villain character Sideshow Bob attempting to navigate across a parking lot littered with rakes, repeatedly stepping on them and hitting himself in the face quickly became infamous with fans of the series. Now a recurring joke in the show, many people began bringing up the homebrew monster’s similarities to the classic bit as soon as it hit the web, and it’s easy to see why.

Despite the similarities to such a simple joke, the chaotic neutral D&D homebrew rake is actually very thoughtfully designed. The creator took into account realistic vulnerabilities – such as a wooden rake being susceptible to fire – alongside realistic immunities, like a broom being unaffected by poison. Fittingly, the broom can employ a surprise attack when a creature enters their space, popping up to perform a Face Slap attack, much like the classic Simpsons broom. The creature even has immunity to being disadvantaged while prone. This is odd because, typically, a prone creature has a disadvantage to attack, which would be a problem for a rake whose natural position is laying on the ground waiting for unsuspecting characters, but user stayonyourcouch included a special ability for their rake that negates this. With this amount of careful thought put into the creature, this broom seems like it’s the perfect homebrewed creation for a DM looking to add some silly, Simpsons-themed chaos into their campaign.

Dungeon masters often express the desire to spice up their campaigns in one way or another – sometimes it’s because they’ve grown tired of the official D&D game content, or because they think the campaign has become too easy for their seasoned players. Homebrewed creations like this can be the perfect addition to a campaign that’s feeling stale, and create memorable in-game moments that will help both the players and the DM have fun in their campaign – this time with some Simpsons flair.

Source: stayonyourcouch/Twitter

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