About this mod
Do you wish Skyrim had a bestiary, but don't want to write your own? Here's my solution: craft bestiary books using creature components gathered from your kills. Sometimes quests or referencing other books will be necessary to complete your knowledge of a species. Good luck collecting them all!
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
This mod is currently in Beta. There are 63 craftable bestiary books, covering all creatures in vanilla Skyrim and its DLCs. Completing each bestiary will grant a 10 percent bonus to attack and spell power against the creature in question. Next version will begin adding pictures to each book!
Thanks to everyone who's downloaded so far, and hope you enjoy this mod! If you find any spelling errors, large lore inconsistencies (I'm not claiming my writing to be gospel), or other bugs, please report them. I'm also looking for feedback on the balance of crafting recipes.
This mod is largely meant to be a collectible mod - requiring effort to obtain the bestiary books like doing actual research. Sometimes this includes completing quests that involve unique creature variants.
The current version damage bonus abilities added for having a complete bestiary on a creature. These bonuses will only be present when you have the relevant book in your inventory, so you won't be stuck with unwanted effects. I know carrying all these books is a lot of clutter - really you're not meant to! You'll just pick the ones you want and leave the rest in your library at home.
In addition, progressing the bestiary entries will reveal weaknesses and strategies for taking on enemies. Bestiaries will often provide example uses for alchemy ingredients, but not reveal all properties.
The process is this:
- Kill a creature in Skyrim
- Collect whatever its loot drops are
- Go to a tanning rack
- If you have one of the necessary materials, you'll be able to craft the Version 1 for each Bestiary book. V1 RECIPES WILL ONLY SHOW UP IF ONE OF THE NECESSARY MATERIALS IS IN YOUR INVENTORY
- Check the tanning rack for the next recipe. YOU NEED THE PREVIOUS VERSION BOOK IN YOUR INVENTORY. If the next version recipe doesn't show up, then there's an extra requirement hinted at the end of the version you have. Completing the requirement will make the recipe show up.
- Once you have a version with COMPLETE EDITION on the title page, that bestiary is done.
Most books will go up to version 3, but there is quite a bit of variation. There some rare ones where the initial recipe won't show up without a special requirement - usually because there isn't unique loot for the creature in question. I've included a craftable "Bestiary Hints" note to help out with those, if you so choose.
Bestiary books are valued according to the cost of the materials that go into them, so no breaking the economy!
Check the articles tab for one with a full list of crafting requirements. For now, below is a list of all 62 books:
Spoilers! Current list of bestiary entries:
* = new in version 0.5.1
Albino Spiders
Ancestor Moth
Ash Guardian
Ash Hopper
Ash Spawn
Atronachs
Bears
Bees
Bristlebacks
Centurions
Chaurus
Chickens (yes I'm even doing farm animals)
Cows
Death Hounds
Deer/Elk
Dogs
Draugr
Dragons - 2 interconnected bestiary series, one for lore and one for dragon variants
Dragon Priests
Dremora
Dwarven Ballistae
Dwarven Spheres
Dwarven Spiders
Falmer
Fish
Foxes
Forsworn Briarhearts
Frostbite Spiders
Frost Giants
Gargoyles
Ghosts
Giants
Goats
Hawks
Hagravens
Horkers
Horses*
Ice Wraiths
Insects (miscellaneous ones)
Lurkers
Magical Anomalies
Mammoths
Mudcrabs
Netches
Rabbits
Rieklings
Sabre Cats
Seekers
Shell Bugs
Silt Strider
Skeevers
Skeletons
Slaughterfish
Soul Cairn Enemies
Spriggans
Trolls
Vampires
Werebears
Werewolves
Wisps/Wispmothers
Wolves
One secret entry referencing an enemy seen in Oblivion.
One secret entry referencing a group of enemies seen in Morrowind
TO-DO List: Once I've completed these steps, the mod will be at version 1.0
Complete bestiary books and recipes for all creatures in unmodded SkyrimBalance the crafting requirements- Add pictures to the bestiary books
Add bonuses for having the "Complete Edition" of each bestiary. These bonuses will only be present when you have the book in your inventory, so you won't be stuck with unwanted effects.
Planned Patches
- CACO - to improve the bestiary crafting recipes with greater variety - now WIP!
- Skyrim Immersive Creatures - only for the "purist" aka lore-friendly creatures. No Dramans.
- Legacy of the Dragonborn - dependent on there being a good spot for it in the museum, and their approval
- Select Mihail Monster Mods that I personally use and consider "lore-friendly."
- Deadly Dragons