The Great Midwinter Cookie Exchange

As Midwinter comes to a close, it is time to cook and bake nourishing treats to help our fellow adventurers weather the long winter nights… by storing the joy of Midwinter in a collectible cookie tin! This downtime activity allows players to bake Midwinter cookies and “exchange them” with their party members to fill a cookie tin certificate. This activity costs 3 Downtime Days, in which adventurers will collect ingredients, bake their recipes, and meet to exchange their treats.

The Dungeon Master also can choose to receive a tin of cookies matching the one their players create and assign it to any of their characters, but note that any player, including DMs, is allowed one tin/certificate.

This downtime activity can be used any time before the Midwinter Cookie Tin Certificate expires. Each player can fill their tin once, although they can participate in the downtime activity more than once to help others.

Step One: Choose a recipe and collect ingredients

Characters choose which cookie they would like to make for the group from the Midwinter Cookie Tin certificate. Then, go around the table and have the characters describe three ingredients they need for the recipe, including at least one unexpected surprise ingredient. Depending on their creativity and storytelling, the Dungeon Master can opt as always to give a character Inspiration.

Step Two: Add the secret ingredient

The spirit of Midwinter imbues these cookies with their magic if they are baked with care, thoughtfulness, and intention. As characters bake their cookies, they must think about a time they demonstrated the Ability Score associated with the cookie they chose. Go around the table and have the characters each share a story to demonstrate this.

Step Three: Get Ready, Get Set, Bake!

Using any Inspiration they earned during this activity, the characters now bake their cookies. They accomplish perfect magical Midwinter cookies with a successful DC 13 ability check using the Ability Score associated with the cookie they chose. If a character is proficient with Cooking Utensils, they can add their Proficiency Bonus. On a failed check, the cookies are mundane but tasty, if slightly burnt. Each character receives one cookie each of the successful bakes, including their own, and should mark these on their Midwinter Cookie Tin certificates.