Greetings Dark Heresy Fans!
This is the third in a series of diaries about Creatures Anathema , the new upcoming Dark Heresy sourcebook that presents a bestiary of over 50 aliens, beasts, and daemons of the Calixis Sector.
As the lead developer on the project, it was up to me to decide how we would break down the book by chapter. Some decisions were easy—“We should have a range of monsters in the book for all power levels, from beginner to veteran to advanced so that a GM can find a challenge for a group of Acolytes at any rank.”
Some were far more difficult—“We have 144 pages to work with, so that means that some chapters will have to be very brief in comparison to others.” I knew that we wanted to provide more than just a collection of bad guys and monsters (see my previous Designer Diary, ‘Monsters on the Move’ for more info on the thinking behind the project), so we had to tighten down and focus on presenting the most interesting monsters we could present. Some were merely names (such as the Ripper-whips of Kenov III) whilst others have a huge presence in the Warhammer 40,000 IP (such as Orks), and require a considerably larger space to give a respectful treatment.

So, without further ado, here’s a breakdown of the chapters you’ll find inside Creatures Anathema :
Chapter 1: Mutation
This chapter presents the deadly Hullghast, the highly dangerous individual known as Archimedes Noxt, and discusses the Sinner’s Plagues of the Drusus Marches.
Chapter 2: Forbidden Science
The terrors of tech-heresy plague the worlds of the Calixis Sector, and the fruits of that blasphemy are presented within. From the False-men of Nomen Ryne to the Logi Daemonis and beyond to such xenos threats as the dreaded Vore-weapon—these are the dark products of dabbling in research better left untouched.
Chapter 3: Death Worlds
Several Death Worlds of the Calixis Sector are covered in this chapter, including the infamous planet of Woe, the desert hell of Zel Secundus, and the beautiful but deadly Phyrr.
Chapter 4: Vermin & Predators
Beasts dire and dangerous lurk within the hives and wilds of many planets within the Calixis Sector. This chapter provides a selection of such threats including the Skin Taker of Fedrid, the Stenchbeast of Strank, and the Xothic Blood Locust.
Chapter 5: Xenos
Aliens plot against the Imperium of man; this chapter exposes some of these implacable foes. The mysterious Eldar corsair known as Ulthyr Ellarion and the shapeshifting Simulacra are but two of the xenos discussed within.
Chapter 6: The Forces of Chaos
No bestiary of the Calixis Sector would be complete without discussing the daemons of the warp. Chapter 6 focuses on these blasphemous foes, from the lowly Nurgling to the towering might of the Burning One and the Eye of the Abyss.
Chapter 7: Adversaries
The final chapter in the book discusses how to use enemies in your Dark Heresy campaign. Chapter 7 presents several options for Game Masters to speed up combat against faceless hordes or to turn a special creature into a more developed and dangerous nemesis.
I hope this overview has whetted your appetite! Keep your eyes on the Dark Heresy web site for the final preview coming next week: I reveal the Fenksworld Pit Thing!
Until then, may the light of the Golden Throne guide your way.