So Atlas just posted a sneak peak into the Ars Magica Definitive Edition intro spread art. And it depicts a group of PCs facing off against some hippogriffs. And one of my first thoughts was - why hippogriffs? Why not some more distinctly Ars Magica monsters? Like how D&D favors art of PCs facing off against Mind Flayers and Beholders and Vecna and so on, because these are very specific to D&D.
My second thought was that I have no idea what an iconic Ars Magica monster was, actually. A demon, with a classical look and demeanor, as per medieval grimoires? A manifesting forest spirit, animating trees and all kind of forest life to form its living body? I don't know.
What do you think an iconic Ars Magica monster would look like? What should the PCs face off in that art piece, that would scream "Ah, this is Ars Magica", rather than any run of the mill fantasy RPG?
I viewed those as griffins, not hippogriffs; their hind-legs don't look very horsey. There's an entire adventure in Legends of Hermes involving griffins, including the weird male/female dimorphism derived from heraldry which seems very Mythic European... although I'm not sure it quite matches the timeframe since I think male griffins as charges are mainly found in British heraldry and maybe later at that.
There are no monsters which are iconic "Ars Magica monsters". The various monsters appearing in Ars Magica are drawn from the same folklore and mythologies that most fantasy RPGs draw their monsters from.
Dragons, goblins, werewolves, demons - they all appear in Ars Magica, but are in no way unique to Ars Magica.
D&D has some monsters that aren't from folklore or mythology, but rather invented specifically for D&D. Like beholders, mind flayers, owlbears, etc. Ars Magica doesn't have anything like that.
I agree 100% with this. But we can add that the philosophy of Ars Magica when it comes to monsters is that each "monster" is a unique character. So while there are some broad archetypes that recur - "faerie monarch", "tempting demon", "greedy dragon" - Ars Magica adventures don't much go in for the "stock monster".
This is also true to folklore, which doesn't have the naturalistic view of monsters that we tend to have. A good take on this is one of my favourite blog posts from Timothy Ferguson's podcast: Charles Darwin wrecked our dragons – Games From Folktales
Calebais has been the iconic Ars Magica dungeon crawl since first edition, and the "Hrools are designed to act as interesting, unusual denizens of Calebais that take the place of goblins, kobolds, and other small humanoid creatures that typically inhabit a fantasy dungeon setting." (C:TBC, p.92)
Professor Quirrell's lips were set in a thin line. "I will reluctantly teach you enough trivia for a passing mark on the Ministry-mandated portions of your first-year finals. Since your exact mark on these sections will make no difference to your future life, anyone who wants more than a passing mark is welcome to waste their own time studying our pathetic excuse for a textbook. The title of this subject is not Defence Against Minor Pests. You are here to learn how to defend yourselves against the Dark Arts. Which means, let us be very clear on this, defending yourselves against Dark Wizards. People with wands who want to hurt you and who will likely succeed in doing so unless you hurt them first! There is no defence without offence! There is no defence without fighting! This reality is deemed too harsh for eleven-year-olds by the fat, overpaid, Auror-guarded politicians who mandated your curriculum. To the abyss with those fools! You are here for the subject that has been taught at Hogwarts for eight hundred years! Welcome to your first year of Battle Magic!"
The real iconic monster in Ars Magica is the mage.
While all are inspired by the same mythology, in practice I think for example Ars Magica 5's take on demons and faeries is quite unique. However, it does not really come with an iconic look to them.
To me, the first creature that comes to mind when I think of Ars Magica is the wolf. More specifically, the giant wolf depicted on the cover of the old Pact of Pasaquine story.
Thinking of older versions of AM, the first thing to pop into my mind is "Ravens of Virtue".
In 5th edition, the most unique to AM thing I can think of is the Hermetic Cats. Not only are they specific to AM but they also have a history within the Order of Hermes making them linked to the Order from its founding. There is three different lineages, each unique from the others in their appearance, powers, and personality. While not stated, they are the most widely available creature with Might to the Order and would most likely be the most common familiar.
I am very fond of this adventure, I think of it as the quintessential ArM introductory adventure. Despite being hopelessly out of tune with current ArM expectations and standards.
The icons of Ars Magica are the wizards not the monsters, and the monsters are simply those of Mythic European tales.
A lot would also depend on the type of saga you are trying to run - which geographical location or mood you are going for.
Basically, Ars Magica isn’t typically a dungeon-delving, monster-bashing RPG in the same manner as D&D, in order to have a definitive set of iconic monsters.....unless you particularly want to run it that way.
The Great Drake of the Pyrenees used to be the sort of signature monster that turned up in new editions.
I think he and the Dragon Abbot need to come back hard in fanworks.
After Venice comes out I hope some of the characters there will be touchstones. The Rotting Princess and the Ambassadatrix of Torcello are human enough to be comprehensible but inhuman enough to be magical.
