The Medieval Bestiary, Revised Edition (Ars Magica Fantasy Roleplaying) [Paperback]

Atlas Games Staff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 2001

By the thirteenth century, the bestiary was one of the most popular books available in Europe after the Bible. The bestiary was both morality play and encyclopedia. The emphasis was on morality play, since most bestiarists were monks or other Christian scholars. From their point of view, the habits of animals provided insight into how we humans should be living our lives as Christians.

The Medieval Bestiary: Revised Edition is an Ars Magica supplement for player and storyguide alike. You should have this book if you plan to seek a familiar, play a shape-shifting Bjornaer, or tell stories that involve animals and fantastic beasts. The creatures described in this work are presented from a medieval point of view to help set the mood of your game.

The creatures described within this bestiary are ones known to the people of Mythic Europe, the setting of Ars Magica. Thus, there are familiar animals -- horses and hounds, cats and cows -- and exotic creatures -- dragons, gryphons, and sirens. Each creature is presented with a description written by Caprea of House Bjornaer, which reflects her views as a maga and scholar in the Order of Hermes. Statistics are presented for creatures when appropriate, and are compatible with Ars Magica Fourth Edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Atlas Games (January 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887801928
• ISBN-13: 978-1887801928
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,569,800 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 A must-have book!, March 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Medieval Bestiary, Revised Edition (Ars Magica Fantasy Roleplaying) (Paperback)

Medieval Bestiary: Revised Edition is an excellent book. It is a revision of an earlier work, but done so well that it stands better on its own. It might be called, essentially, a "Monster Manual," but it is so much richer and detailed than that, containing varied and inspiring examples of historical myth and legend. It details the many, many beasts of medieval Europe, and intelligent rules for designing your own. Furthermore, it neatly solves the difficult question presented by the earlier work, "Are all creatures of medieval Europe magical?" No, says Kasab's Medieval Bestiary, just some of them (Beasts of Virtue), and they tend to be special. And beyond the well-written content, the presentation and layout are well done; it is simple to comprehend and easy to read, and the index is useful and accurate. I cannot imagine playing an Ars Magica saga without this book.