Dark Heresy RPG: Creatures Anathema [Hardcover]

Fantasy Flight Games (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2009 | Series: Dark Heresy

This tome details over 60 aliens, beasts, and daemons of the Calixis Sector, and how to destroy them in the name of the Emperor. Each creature comes with plots and places for GMs to use in their campaigns, including overviews of some of the most infamous Calixian Deathworlds.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games; Brdgm edition (2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589945484
• ISBN-13: 978-1589945487
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #524,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good looking book, great content, April 6, 2009

By 

Samuel Flory "Surloc" (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dark Heresy RPG: Creatures Anathema (Hardcover)

This book is a must have for any Dark Heresy GM. It has a few classic 40k creatures genestealers*, lictors, some eldar, and some orks, and some classic daemons. But don't expect to see all the classics Tau, Necron, most 'nids, and chaos types. Most of the book is devoted to new Calis sector ceatures. (If this is a good or bad thing depends on what you are looking for.) The new creatures are well thought out and suit the investigative campaign sytle of DH. These are better suited (some might argue) than the some of the classic table top units.

*Strangely missing info on the genestealers half breeds, and cults.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars almost great, notable for what is missing, November 5, 2009

By 

Nate R (San Jose, California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Dark Heresy RPG: Creatures Anathema (Hardcover)

As said many times in various reviews for this book, what is in the book is excellent. What is not in the book is what I want more of.

I appreciate the storytelling, the various "files" on the xenos & other creatures in the book... but for the most part, "Creatures Anathema" seems like half of a great book.

I was particularly interested in the Eldar & Tyranid entries in the book. Whilst I can get by with the Genestealer & Lictor entries for the Tyranids, the authors simply waved away Genestealer hybrids by saying that they are outside the scope of the book. So you either have to make up your own rules for hybrids & infestations, or the Genestealers are pretty much a non-factor for you.

Likewise, the Eldar section begins with a beautiful picture of a Warlock... but no Warlock stats, no Eldar psyker abilities, and not even the stats for a standard Shuriken Catapult (ostensibly because there are no rules/stats for your standard Eldar Guardians). I can certainly make my own stats for Eldar Guardians, and I appreciate the usefulness of Eldar Pathfinders & the fact that Dire Avengers will be more commonly encountered than Warp Spiders or Shining Spears... but why no Eldar psykers? It's a glaring omission, especially since we get psyker abilities for summoning rats in this book. (Oh, yes, you can play as an unsanctioned rat summoner now, thank the Emperor, but you will not find rules for Eldar Warlocks) I guess I can also create my own Warlock abilities, and say that Farseers (like Inquisitors) are far beyond the scope of Dark Heresy... but there's hardly enough meat to put together a suitable Eldar encounter without knowledge of Eldar from the tabletop miniatures game.

Instead of more details on Genestealer Hybrids & Eldar wytches, you get more Calixis sector stuff. While several pages of non-minatures game beasties are appreciated, you get 34+ pages of non-sentient vermin/beasts versus 6 pages for Eldar and 8 pages for Tyranids?

Granted, the Eldar could have an entire book to themselves... but maybe they deserved more pages when you have so many beasts/vermin entries? Maybe an entry for Guardians or Eldar corsairs (since you shouldn't have to buy Rogue Trader if you don't want to)?

That's the frustrating part of the book. There's some great stuff, but it requires a lot more work if you are interested in Xenos threats.

For Ordo Hereticus games, don't even bother with this book. It's interesting, but not worth your time IMO. Get the other books in Dark Heresy, or get the Rogue Trader rulebook instead... you'll get info on Eldar Corsairs & Ork Freebooters as well as Kroot mercs, in addition to Rogue Traders & Astropath characters, which is FAR FAR faaaaar more useful than what you'll find in Creatures Anathema.
Rogue Trader RPG: Core Rulebook (Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay)

For Ordo Xenos or Ordo Malleus games, you'll find useful info here (moreso for Ordo Malleus, with Flesh Hounds & Juggernauts of Khorne, plus Flamers of whatshisname)... but Ordo Xenos acolytes in particular will need more help from a creative gamemaster to round out what's in this one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another top notch product for the Dark Heresy Line, April 6, 2009

By 

Karl A. Rodriguez "mactaka" (San Antonio, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dark Heresy RPG: Creatures Anathema (Hardcover)

Once again, the creators of the Dark Heresy line have created a winner. It's definitely a pretty book. Creatures Anathema has an amazing layout and what looks like brand new art. It is broken into different sections outlining the types of creatures that your acolytes might meet...Mutants, Xenos, Death Worlds, Daemons, and Tech Heresy are the main sections. However, this is not just a list of stat blocks. Each entry gives you plenty of background and adds adventures hooks on how to use these adversaries. On top of that there is a whole chapter on how to integrate the bad guys into your campaign. This is a "must have" for collectors and GMs.