When the Stars Cried Despair - D&D 5e Adventure (Print+PDF)

When the Stars Cried Despair is a starter adventure at the end of the world. Your 1st-level D&D 5e characters face no less than the apocalypse in this first chapter of Descent of the Ancient Fane, the upcoming tie-in with Goodman Games' Castle Whiterock (April 2026).

More than just global destruction is at stake, as When the Stars Cried Despair introduces new mechanics to create Bonds between PCs and establish their Business in the adventure, motivations that change the outcome of rolls and alter the story's plot. This unique approach to a 1st level adventure makes When the Stars Cried Despair ideal to kick off a campaign whether Castle Whiterock or Descent of the Ancient Fane, or a homebrew of your own.

When the Stars Cried Despair features

• 32-page glossy book with cover and interior art by Jim Pavelec (Magic: The Gathering, D&D 4e) and interior art and cartography by Alexander Moore
• Conversion to D&D 5e by Chris Doyle, author of the original Castle Whiterock and countless D&D titles
• Bonds and Business tables to provide backstory and character connections that influence rolls and plotlines
• 15 magical items, some with epic powers that change characters forever
• 16 richly detailed areas with branching paths
• 3 magical sites with astonishing blessings and curses that alter characters' destinies
• 8+ new monsters, including rules for when fallen PCs return as demonic Risen
• Mentors to train the survivors to become heroes
  
• PDF copy for digital use

Bonds and Business Tables to personalize the plot, bond PCs and influence rolls.

Blessings, curses and bizarre incidents that shape the PCs in unexpected ways.

Distinctive magical items that render mighty power and inflict a heavy cost.

Unique monsters, including rules to revive fallen PCs as demonic foes, the Risen.

This one-of-a-kind funnel heralds the approach of our one-of-a-kind dungeon, Descent of the Ancient Fane, the most hellish dungeon ever and Witch Pleas Publishing's tie-in with Castle Whiterock.