I was missing a couple of the Van Richten Guides so when I decided to focus on them this week, I needed to choose between buying Werebeasts and Ghosts. I went with werebeasts entirely because I wanted to see some weird Stephen Fabian lycanthropes.

It probably would have made more sense to have this Van Richten’s Guide to Werebeasts (1993) come before liches, honestly, seeing as how werewolves are so integral to the idea of classic horror in so many minds. It is both a broad overview of shapechangers in general, and also a detailed look at many different varieties (including wereseals, werecrocodiles and the introduction of the werebadger). It is about as thorough an ecology of were-critters as you’re going to find in D&D and it is good fun besides.

Fabian does not disappoint with the art. There is a touch less of it than in other Van Richten’s Guides, but what is here, wow. His werebadger sure is something. So is the…wolf lady in platemail? I think she’s a wolf, anyway. I just love the composition of the were-cougar illustration, but honestly, it is impossible to top the werebear. Look at that absolute unit.