Re-Gifting



It is a cozy holiday scene. The family is gathered around the tree on Christmas Eve, a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace and a combination of heat, happiness, and (in the case of the adults) alcohol making everyone’s cheeks rosy and warm. The dinner has been eaten, the party games have all been played, and it is time for the exchange of gifts, which proceeds uneventfully until…

“Thanks Great Auntie! I really need a new pair of tube socks!” exclaimed Jack, the smile plastered on his face belying his disappointment. Great Auntie Mildred always gave him tube socks. He had drawers stuffed full of tube socks, most of which were far too big to fit on his 12-year-old feet.

Jack’s parents, picking up on his disappointment, moved quickly to avert the situation, bringing another (far more exciting) present out from under the tree and plopping it into their son’s lap.

“Every year I think Jack’s going to lose it when Mildred gives him socks,” Jack’s mother complained after the family had left. “I mean, who likes tube socks? What are we going to do with another pair of adult-sized tube socks?”


"Well, you know," replied Jack's father, "there's always that grab bag at work. At least that way, no one will know who put them in."

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Everyone's had one experience where they got a gift so horrible they didn't know what to do with it. Similarly, everyone dreads being the recipient of a re-gift, a present so bad that the original recipient just wanted to get rid of it.

In the D&D world, re-gifting is more sinister than this. Re-gifting can involve harming a foe with his/her own energy or forcing someone to give you a recent present. The following content shows just a few ways that the concept of re-gifting can be applied to the D&D world.