@redking they’re like larger ostrich. In real life, they’re (ostrich) bonier than all Hells. The bones can actually be used to mimic veal stock. It’s a red meat, very iron-y and steak-like.
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We should come up with a list of real life animals that actually exist in Athas.
IIRC, Trade Lords here at Athas org has a list of Athasian animals and prices, but are not exclusive, which means that earth animals could exist. Athasian Emporium also has real world fruits and vegetables.
Also, just like we have “meat chickens”, I’d expect Athas to have meat lizards and other animals bred for high meat content. Those animals you mentioned with low meat content are either not animals for slaughter or are game animals. Any animal bred for slaughter is going to have better returns. They have to or Athasians won’t have sufficient food.
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@redking pretty sure there’s a list or two running around out there. Lemme see if I added any of that to my list.
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Q. Since the “normal” animals on Athas would be considered pretty nasty monsters on most other worlds, how useful on Athas are speak with animals and the various spells that can affect or summon animals? Will they also work on most “monsters”?
A. In the strictest terms, a speak with animals spell will not work on many of the most common Athasian “animals”, as these really are fantastic creatures. Nevertheless, Athas does have small lizards, snakes, mammals, and birds that are true animals. Athas also has great cats, bats, and an assortment of other mundane animals, enough normal fauna to make the various animal-affecting spells worthwhile. Speak with animals also works on commonly domesticated creatures of Athas, such as mekillots, inix, kanks, and erdlus.
Q. Why are there so few creatures included in the Dark Sun world? The list in the rules, even when augmented by a Monstrous Compendium many times larger than the volumes TSR has been putting out recently, is pretty small for players and DMs accustomed to the hundreds of creatures available in the regular AD&D game. Is such a volume coming out?
A. Athas has very few species because it is a site of a worldwide ecological disaster. A dying ecology means lots of extinctions and very few surviving species. There is a Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium in the works. Look for it in February 1992; it will be 96 pages long.
According to the interpretation in Sage Advice, I rule that several animals in our world which are not much larger than a house cat and which would be able to live in such a world do live in Athas. The ability to live can mostly be deduced by the animals’ survivability in a desert. Therefore, sand cats, desert foxes and such animals can be seen in my Athas. They, of course, usually have one or two beneficial mutations. Larger animals may be considered on a case by case basis, and will probably be subject to more drastic mutations.
Another thing I take account is whether the animal’s niche is filled by an Athasian creature. For example, although vultures are among common residents of the deserts, and have appropriately sized subspecies even we hard limit the size, have their place taken by the remarkable survivors, kes’trekels.
For stockbreeding, Athas has aprigs and carrus, as well as the erdlus you mentioned and small lizards that replace fowl. I don’t think chickens and turkeys are resourceful enough to survive Athas.
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Definitely no chickens or turkeys in my game. Goats are, as they’re brought up as dwelling in the mountains and if I remember correctly by giants in one of the novels. I like this, as goat’s milk allows for cheese production.
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Yep, there were giant goats and sheep in one that one, I forgot about that. Although goats roaming Ringing Mountains and giants’ islands, sheep seems a little off to me. That reminded me the list below, and it says that the Veiled Alliance book says that they breed turkeys in Draj, but still I can’t see turkeys hanging around in Athas 
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Turkeys specifically in one area is viable. Bet the Draji’s make a mean mole.
Any farmed animal is viable regardless of whether they can survive out in the wild. I can see chickens and turkeys raised in Athasian farms, even if I can’t see them surviving out in the wild.
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This is a food list, including meat.
And here’s an animal list, which includes the different types of animals, meat, laying, pack, etc…
I’ve never read anywhere about chickens on Athas. However, ostriches and emus are official according to the revised rule book.
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Here are some of the other trinkets I’ve made. Its been pointed out how hard it is to survive on Athas. Well, Athasians do have some help.
Trinkets
Craftsman’s Skill Charm
A craftsman’s charm comes in an eclectic number of forms but are often amulets in the shape of a tiny mock tool. These minor charms provide a +1 to +3 to a specific skill check and require at least 1 rank in the skill (netting the charm a 10% discount to craft), and a level in the expert class (another 30% reduction in costs).
On Athas the struggle to survive even reaches the craftsmen, professionals, and freemen of the city states. Competition is harsh, and Athasians, who rely on their skills to survive, seek out any edge they can to give them an advantage. For that reason, most of them will buy a competence enhancing charm as soon as they are able to afford one. Around half charms are psionic due to the prevalence of psionics on Athas. The rest are produced by elemental clerics and even templars, and selling these charms provide excellent income for those producing them. Rarer are charms of arcane origin, although most of the users of the charms are not aware of whether the charms are arcane, divine, or psionic in nature.
These charms are often used in conjunction with masterwork tools, which provide a +2 circumstance bonus. At first glance the +2 bonus provided by masterwork tools at 50 Cp seems more economical than a charm, but that is the cost for a single masterwork tool. A complete set of tools used in a profession costs as many times 50 Cp as there as the number of tools are used for that profession or craft. Any master craftsman worth his salt owns both masterwork tools and a master crafts charm, providing a total of +5 to his crafting or professional skill checks.
The example below is a charm for brickmakers, but any profession or skill has charms. If the charms provide the same numeric bonus and have the same skill restriction, they all have the same pricing.
Lesser Brickmakers’ Charm
Aura Faint divination (or faint clairsentience); CL 1st (or ML 1st); Slot Throat; Weight —.
Market price 100 Cp; Cost to create 31.5 Cp, 2 XP. Cost reduction Class limitation x70%, skill limitation x90%.
Requirements Craft Magical Trinket (or Craft Psionic Trinket), guidance;
This charm is an amulet in the shape of a tiny flat-head trowel. It gives the wearer a +1 competence bonus on Profession (brickmaker) whenever a check is made for that skill. To benefit from this charm, the wearer must have at least one rank in Profession (brickmaker) and must have at least one level in the expert class.
Greater Brickmakers’ Charm
Aura Faint divination (or faint clairsentience); CL 2nd (or ML 2nd); Slot Throat; Weight —.
Market price 400 Cp; Cost to create 126 Cp, 10 XP. Cost reduction Class limitation x70%, skill limitation x90%.
Requirements Craft Magical Trinket (or Craft Psionic Trinket), guidance;
As lesser brickmaker’s charm. It gives the wearer a +2 competence bonus on Profession (brickmaker) whenever a check is made for that skill. To benefit from this charm, the wearer must have at least one rank in Profession (brickmaker) and must have at least one level in the expert class.
Master Brickmakers’ Charm
Aura Faint divination (or faint clairsentience); CL 3rd (or ML 3rd); Slot Throat; Weight —.
Market price 900 Cp; Cost to create 283 Cp, 22 XP. Cost reduction Class limitation x70%, skill limitation x90%.
Requirements Craft Magical Trinket (or Craft Psionic Trinket), guidance;
As lesser brickmaker’s charm. It gives the wearer a +3 competence bonus on Profession (brickmaker) whenever a check is made for that skill. To benefit from this charm, the wearer must have at least one rank in Profession (brickmaker) and must have at least one level in the expert class.
Other Skill Charms
While the brickmaker’s charms above use the throat slot, other charms may use other slots – they could be gloves, spectacles, boots, capes and so on. The list below is non-exhaustive.
- Forger’s charm. Competence bonus to Forgery. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Middleman’s charm. Competence bonus to Appraise. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Ostler’s charm. Competence bonus to Handle Animal. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Mountebank’s charm. Competence bonus to Bluff. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Chiurgeon’s charm. Competence bonus to Heal. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Cat Burglar’s charm. Competence bonus to Climb. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Survivor’s charm. Competence bonus to Survival. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Actor’s charm. Competence bonus to Perform (Act). Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Spellcrafter’s charm. Competence bonus to Spellcraft. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Psicrafter’s charm. Competence bonus to Psicraft. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Locksmith’s charm. Competence bonus to Open Lock. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Driver’s charm. Competence bonus to Ride. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Scribe’s charm. Competence bonus to Decipher Script. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Slave-maker’s charm. Competence bonus to Use Rope. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Overseer’s charm. Competence bonus to Intimidate. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Trapper’s charm. Competence bonus to Craft (Trapmaking). Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Cutpurse’s charm. Competence bonus to Sleight of Hand. Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Farmer’s charm. Competence bonus to Profession (Farmer). Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Gambler’s charm. Competence bonus to Profession (Gambler). Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
- Bureaucrat’s charm. Competence bonus to Profession (Bureaucrat). Lesser +1, greater +2, master +3.
Somnolent Waterfall
Aura Faint illusion (figment) and enchantment (compulsion) (or faint telepathy); CL 1st (or ML 1st); Slot —; Weight 1 lbs.
Market price 200 Cp; Cost to create 100 Cp, 8 XP. Cost reduction N/A
Requirements Craft Magical Trinket (or Craft Psionic Trinket), ghost sound, lullaby.
This trinket resembles a snow globe. Encased inside glass, water flows down a representation of a waterfall. When activated, the trinket produces the sound of a waterfall that can help an individual that wants to sleep to get to sleep. It has no effect on unwilling targets whatsoever.
Slave’s Mop
Aura Faint universal (or faint indeterminate); CL 1st (or ML 1st); Slot —; Weight 2 lbs.
Market price 200 Cp; Cost to create 100 Cp, 8 XP.
Requirements Craft Magical Trinket (or Craft Psionic Trinket), prestidigitation.
A slave’s mop is just that – a magically or psionically enhanced mop that is very effective at cleaning the surfaces it touches. A slave’s mop (and items that do similar things and cost the same to create, such as an animal handlers brush or tool) is deployed when there is great need for cleanliness, such as in a bath house or slave latrines, so as to prevent the outbreak of disease. The cleaning ability of the slave’s mop is subject to the cleaning limitations of the prestidigitation spell, that is the user of the slave’s mop can clean items or areas in a 1-foot cube each round. To deploy the abilities of the mop, the user must still go through the motions of cleaning with the mop. The magical or psionic ability of the slave’s mop can be used for one hour per day and must be used up in one session.
Thief’s Boots
Aura faint transmutation; CL 1st; Slot Boots; Weight 2 lbs.
Market price 360 Cp; Cost to create 126 Cp, 10 XP. Cost reduction Class limitation x70%.
Requirements Craft Magical Trinket, expeditious retreat.
These boots are prized by rogues operating in the markets and streets of the cities of Athas. Rogues try not to get caught in the act, but if they do, they need to flee the scene with alacrity. Once per day as a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, the wearer can speak the command word to activate the effects of an expeditious retreat spell on himself for 1 minute.
To use the magical ability of the thief’s boots, the wearer must have at least one level in rogue.
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I guess this one was for the Magic Items
IMO every farmed animal is viable, at least not commonly. That would make even cows and sheep common in Athas as well as fowl, and these are not the animals I would like to see in Athas. IMO lack of mundane animals are an important part of alienness of a setting. For example, how cool and fun would bazaars of Tatooine be if there were chickens and sheep on the stalls?
Dogs also have their niche filled by more than one animals, so they only encountered very rarely, as a very strange beast some claim to have heard of in ancient tales. I love the look on the players’ faces when I say that they encounter an extremely weird creature they have never heard of, and after I descrive it they understand it is a dog or a horse. It is also a fine test of metagaming, and if players fail, I can turn things around with a few mutations 
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I will defend the potential existence of chickens because of their small size and relative ease of cultivating. Don’t like feathers? Put scales on them instead and change the name.
Cows are high maintenance. They require a lot of grazing land and water that Athas has only in very short supply.
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There’s plenty of other fun (and usually large) eggs in game that chickens aren’t really needed. It also forces the players to eat something interesting if you get rid of their existence.
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A chicken is less important than an animal serving the same role as a chicken.
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@Rajaat99 These are great food and animal summaries!
I was trying to create a list of common (and not so common) domestic animals and supplies as part of a player reference for a future game. But these do a lot of the heavy lifting already.
Do you mind if I copy bits of these documents wholesale?
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Most of these are cut/paste canon through 2E, just compiled in one spot. I use it similarly as reference for my players. I’ve been combining things in game recently which I find fun as a currently non-practicing chef. In Urik, I had the army return and had a celebration of sorts revolving around the community kiln, where ostrich-sized crodlu eggs were roasted until the whites set, the tops sawed off and then topped with a mix of different pickled veg with bramble weed skewers of meat that are then used to eat the dish as the warriors sang praise to Hamanu. There was also broy being passed in emptied eggshells. Hopefully the image stuck with my players.
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Do with them as you please. Like everything on my blog I create, it is meant to be used. If you think of more stuff that should go on them, please share. The equipment list is a work in progress
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How much meat are Athasians actually consuming? Considering how many gallons of water are required to create a pound of meat, I always imagined most of their protein coming from (small) insects.
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A lot more than you’d think. There are way too many large creatures running amok in the Tablelands. If you want a realist POV, check out this: http://athas.org/system/uploads/article_attachment/attachment/43/NetLibramOfAthasianEcology.pdf
It gives a few good reasons why larger animals might exist.
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That’s a great document. After reading it I went out and added another column to my calendar to show which apex predators would actually be active each month and not estivating. Which made me also rethink lairs for these creatures.
Beyond that I like the idea of creatures either at the bottom of the food chain or all up and down the food chain with some symbiotic relationship with chloroplast containing organisms – imagine every morning on the tablelands squirming masses of dark green worms erupting from the soil to greet the sun.
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