What is Planet Apocalypse 5E?
Planet Apocalypse 5E is a 350+ page sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition that drops a full demonic apocalypse into any fantasy world you're already running. Your setting doesn't get replaced. It gets overrun, shattered by fiendish hordes, turned into survivalist wreckage. Heroes fight alongside the remnants of civilization just to slow the tide.
This is a separate product from the Planet Apocalypse co-op board game. Planet Apocalypse 5E is a proper RPG supplement: new mechanics, new character options, new monsters, and complete adventures all built around the 5E ruleset your group knows.
What's inside the Planet Apocalypse 5E book?
A lot. The 350+ page tome packs in new subclasses, new feats, new spells, new magic items, and a bestiary of more than 70 monster stat blocks. Three complete adventures are included, each designed to pull your party into the apocalyptic conflict rather than just narrating it from a distance.
The book also covers 15 Arch Lords. Each one casts a literal shadow, a personal version of Hell that warps the surrounding area to match their nature. That's a genuinely useful framework for any DM who wants distinct regional threats rather than one undifferentiated demonic tide. Designing all 15 with their own flavored environments took real work, and the variety shows.
Beyond the combat content, a complete guide walks you through adapting the apocalypse concept to any fantasy setting. Running a classic published setting or a homebrew world you've been building for years? This book gives you the tools to fold the demon invasion in without dismantling everything already on the table.
How does Planet Apocalypse 5E fit into a D&D campaign?
The conceit is clever: your world actually gets destroyed. This isn't a "dark lords are threatening things" arc that resolves tidily. The premise is that the fiends win the opening, and play begins in the wreckage. Characters aren't saving the world at this point. They're keeping a foothold alive while the demonic tide presses in from every direction.
For groups who've run a lot of 5E and want stakes that feel genuinely different, that shift matters. Standard campaigns often default to stopping the villain before catastrophe. Planet Apocalypse starts after catastrophe. The survivors the party protects, the Arch Lords they face, the territory they fight to hold: all of it runs on 5E mechanics players already know, which keeps the learning curve low while the setting does the heavy lifting.
Sandy Petersen's background matters here too. He's the designer behind the original Planet Apocalypse board game and a founding figure in horror gaming, with DOOM level design and decades of Lovecraftian tabletop design behind him. (See his full credits on Wikipedia.) The 5E book carries that same focus on escalating dread and asymmetric threats rather than clean tactical puzzles.
Who should buy Planet Apocalypse 5E?
DMs who want a campaign framework that does the heavy lifting. If you've been trying to run a "world gone wrong" arc and keep stitching it together from separate sourcebooks, this one gives you a coherent system. Arch Lords, demon stat blocks, new subclasses, and three ready-to-run adventures, all pointed at the same apocalyptic premise.
It also suits groups who've hit a ceiling on standard 5E content and want something that changes the texture of play. Post-apocalyptic survival in a fantasy world, with 70+ demon stat blocks to throw at your party, is a meaningfully different experience. The book works with any fantasy setting, so your group doesn't need to start from scratch.
Collectors who already own the Planet Apocalypse board game (BoardGameGeek) will find this a natural companion. The 5E RPG shares the same demon-invasion premise and Arch Lord concept, played out at the RPG table in the 5E ruleset.
What new character options does the book add?
New subclasses, feats, and spells, all designed around a world where Hell has broken through. The options are tuned to the apocalyptic setting: choices that make sense when civilization is fractured and the enemy is genuinely supernatural. Magic items follow the same logic.
That's a meaningful amount of player-facing content for a sourcebook. New subclasses let players build characters with the apocalypse baked into their kit rather than retrofitting standard class features onto a setting that breaks the usual assumptions. Feats and spells extend that across the full party.
How big is the Planet Apocalypse 5E book?
350+ pages. That puts it in the range of a major 5E hardcover, comparable in scale to official sourcebooks that run 250 to 350 pages. A full campaign arc's worth of content, not a thin rules expansion or a one-shot supplement.
Petersen Games builds to a premium standard. If you've handled their other releases, you know the production quality. This isn't a print-on-demand PDF-in-a-cover situation. It's a proper physical tome built for the table.
Where can I buy Planet Apocalypse 5E?
Directly from Petersen Games at $59.99. That's the confirmed price on the product page. In-stock orders process within 48 hours. US shipping runs via USPS Ground Advantage, typically 2 to 5 business days after processing.
Pick up your copy and read the full product details at the Planet Apocalypse 5E product page on the Petersen Games store.
Planet Apocalypse 5E: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Planet Apocalypse 5E the same as the Planet Apocalypse board game?
No. They share the same demon-invasion premise and universe, but are separate products. The board game is a cooperative tabletop game. Planet Apocalypse 5E is a D&D 5th Edition sourcebook with subclasses, feats, spells, a bestiary, and three complete adventures, designed to run at the RPG table.
Do I need the Planet Apocalypse board game to use this 5E book?
No. The RPG supplement stands on its own. You need the D&D 5th Edition core rules to run it, but no board game components at all. The book works with any 5E-compatible campaign setting right out of the box.
How much does Planet Apocalypse 5E cost?
$59.99 USD, as listed on the Petersen Games store. Orders ship within 48 hours for in-stock items. US customers receive orders via USPS Ground Advantage in approximately 2 to 5 business days after processing.
How many monsters are in the Planet Apocalypse 5E bestiary?
More than 70 monster stat blocks. The bestiary focuses on the fiendish hordes of the demon invasion, including creatures tied to the 15 Arch Lords and the distinct environments they corrupt. That's enough variety to fuel a full campaign arc without recycling the same encounters.
What are the Arch Lords in Planet Apocalypse 5E?
The 15 Arch Lords are the major demonic powers driving the invasion. Each one casts a literal shadow, a personal version of Hell that physically warps the surrounding territory to match their nature. They serve as the main antagonist framework for DMs running a long-form Planet Apocalypse campaign.
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