Athasian Turkey

In honor of Thanksgiving, the United States holiday, I gave stats for the Athasian Turkey, which is mention in the Veiled Alliance sourcebook. Turkeys may seem an odd choice of animal to be present on Athas, but wild turkeys are actually quite cunning.
Turkey's are raised for food and feathers in the city-state of Draj. These turkeys have been domesticated and are far less dangerous than the wild turkey. Domestic turkeys are de-spurred when young, so it does not have a spur attack.
Happy Thanksgiving!

	Turkey, Domestic	Turkey, Wild
Climate/Terrain	Scrub Plains, Verdant Belt	Forest, Scrub Plains
Frequency	Uncommon	Uncommon
Organization	Flock	Flock
Activity Cycle	Day	Day
Diet	Omnivore	Omnivore
Intelligence	Animal (1)	Animal (1)
Treasure	Nil	Nil
Alignment	Neutral	Neutral
No. Appearing	3-60	1-12
Armor Class	8	8
Movement	9	12 fl 9
Hit Dice	1+3	3+3
Thac0	20	17
No. of Attacks	1	1
Damage/ Attack	1-4	1-6 or 1
Special Attack	Nil	Poison
Special Defense	Nil	Nil
Magic Resistance	Nil	Nil
Size	S (4' + tall)	S (3' + tall)
Morale	Unreliable (2-4)	Average (8-10)
XP Value	35	225

Dark Sun Trading Cards 10

Back in the early nineties, TSR released a series of trading cards. There were some Dark Sun card included, so I decided to hunt them down and post them here. They might be useful or just a novelty, but I hope they're enjoyable.

Non-Dark Sun Creatures in Dark Sun - Bear

There are many creatures for the various monstrous manuals that have been officially added to Dark Sun. I added some unofficially for my game and I'm sure a lot of other DMs do the same.
There is no inherent problem with this, although the flavor text often doesn't fit with the Dark Sun setting. My goal is to list the various monsters that "don't fit" and rewrite their flavor text to make them fit.
If you're looking for a polar bear, look elsewhere.

Bear

	Black	Brown	Cave	Horned
Climate/Terrain	Forest, Hinterlands	Forest	Mountains, Rocky Badlands	Any Land
Frequency	Common	Uncommon	Uncommon	Rare
Organization	Family	Family	Family	Family
Activity Cycle	Day	Day	Day	Day
Diet	Omnivore	Omnivore	Omnivore	Omnivore
Intelligence	Semi (2-4)	Semi (2-4)	Semi (2-4)	Semi (2-4)
Treasure	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Alignment	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral
No. Appearing	1-3	1-6	1-2	1-3
Armor Class	7	6	6	4
Movement	12	12	12	14
Hit Dice	3+3	5+5	6+6	8+8
Thac0	17	15	13	11
No. of Attacks	3	3	3	4
Damage/ Attack	1-3/1-3/1-6	1-6/1-6/1-8	1-8/1-8/1-12	1-10/1-10/1-12
Special Attack	Hug	Hug	Hug	Hug
Special Defense	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Magic Resistance	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Size	M (6' + tall)	L (9' + tall)	H (12' + tall)	H (14' + tall)
Morale	Average (8-10)	Average (8-10)	Average (8-10)	Steady (11-12)
XP Value	175	420	650	2,000

The Athasian Elemental Planes Part Eight: The Plane of Silt

The Paraelemental Plane of Silt

The Silt Sea is an outward manifestation of the power that silt has on Athas. Silt chokes the air and erodes the land and it's spreading across the face of the Tablelands, determined to grind everything into dust. The Plane itself is an endless silt storm that chokes any breathing creature caught in it.
It is whispered that the Paraelemental Plane of Silt was once the Paraelemental Plane of Mud, but there hasn't been enough moisture to sustain it for thousands of years. It is said that the loss of moisture drove the lords of mud, now silt, mad and that is why they seek to destroy everything in their path. Whatever the plane used to be, it is now an open, empty place, swept with dry winds and scouring grains of silt.

Hazards

Visitors will find that the Paraelemental Plane of Silt is very dangerous. There is air to breath, but it is so choked with silt and dust that it is not breathable. The silt also abrades the visitors skin and leaves them a bloody mess. The Paraelemental Plane of Silt is unwelcoming and unforgiving.

Dark Sun Trading Cards 09

Back in the early nineties, TSR released a series of trading cards. There were some Dark Sun card included, so I decided to hunt them down and post them here. They might be useful or just a novelty, but I hope they're enjoyable.

Session Twenty-Seven: Opportunity plus Instinct equals Profit

Note: For those unfamiliar with Dark Sun, psionics are called the Will for wild talents and the Way for trained psionicists.

Day 11, Week 1, Sedulous, Friend's Vengeance, 190th King's Age, High Sun

The group awoke in the tower without a plan in mind. They discussed the situation and came to the conclusion that Jessel should be alright and that they had no idea where he and Abu went. They decided that they were going to accompany Vashti back to her village. They had two kanks, two dozen freed slaves, and few supplies. They also had few choices, so they set out for the closest city-state, Tyr.
While everyone was getting ready, Vashti took the opportunity to cast detect magic. She looked at the jars and bucket they acquired from the destroyed ogre fortress. The contents were all magical. None of the weapons or armors they found in the tower were. She informed the group that the purple goo was created with plant magic, the blue liquids with healing magic, and the clear liquids with protection magic.
Two hours into the march everyone was startled by a loud scream. Vashti, Alaxander, Kalino, Shade, and Spike ran over, Julius walked, to see what had happened. There was a sand colored viper in the dirt with an ex-slave next to it. Vashti grabbed the ex-slave and began dragging him away.
The viper bit at Vashti, but its teeth penetrated her cloak and not her skin. Kalino hacked at the serpent with his chitin-lined khopesh and Alaxander struck at it with the way. Shade used his bone club and Spike finished the snake off with a nasty bite.

Dwarves of Athas Part Five: Settlements 4 (Red Obelisk)

The Red Obelisk

Not too far west of the Balic to South Ledopolous road is a small village called Red Obelisk, named after the strange rune-covered monument of red stone that juts up from the ground in the village. The monument is next to a spring, which provides water for the village. I have been to Red Obelisk many times to acquire gemstones and livestock. Although the village is home to humans and dwarves in equal numbers, I have asked a human inhabitant of the village to discuss it and the harmony that the inhabitants have seemed to find with each other.

My name is Straton Floros and I am one of the chief merchants of Red Obelisk, the village of my birth. The village is found on the border of a salt flat, nearly due west of Balic. The village was settled about ninety years ago by a group of escaped human and dwarf slaves. They decided to settle here due to the spring that flows up from the ground near the obelisk. Today, there are forty-two dwarf, thirty-six human, and three mul residents.
We trade with merchants from the city-states and with desert dwellers who brave the harsh depths of the wilderness. Dwarves are integral to the maintenance of the village and the commerce that allow us to survive. While the scrub plain is fertile enough to raise livestock, it is not healthy enough to grow an abundance of produce.
If it wasn't for the dwarves, it is unlikely that the gemstones we trade with the merchants and tribes of the wastes would have been found. Due to their strength and endurance, the dwarves are far better at digging up the valuable stones from the stony barrens nearby. Many visitors believe that the humans of Red Obelisk are some sort of masters over the dwarves, because the dwarves often do the hardest of work, like mining, while the humans often do physically easier tasks, like herding. However, everyone is fairly compensated for their work, which often means the dwarves have greater riches than the humans, since their work is much more labor intensive.
None of the original human founders are still alive, but there are several dwarves that remember the founding. Two of these dwarves, Taine and Welch are the oldest dwarves and aid the human, Cael, in administration of the village. They mainly look over trade, justice, and make sure everyone is fed and watered. Taine also serves as the Uhrnius, which organizes the villages guards and hunters.

Non Dark Sun Creatures in Dark Sun - Bat

There are many creatures for the various monstrous manuals that have been officially added to Dark Sun. I added some unofficially for my game and I'm sure a lot of other DMs do the same.
There is no inherent problem with this, although the flavor text often doesn't fit with the Dark Sun setting. My goal is to list the various monsters that "don't fit" and rewrite their flavor text to make them fit.
I removed the spell casting and bat familiar, as I did not feel they fit the Dark Sun setting very well. I added a psionic bat, which can be quite a hassle for your player characters.

Bat

	Common	Large	Huge	Psionic
Climate/Terrain	Any Land	Any Land	Warm Caves	Any Land
Frequency	Common	Uncommon	Rare	Rare
Organization	Swarm	Flock	Flock	Solitary or Flock
Activity Cycle	Night	Night	Night	Night
Diet	Omnivore	Omnivore	Omnivore	Omnivore
Intelligence	Animal (1)	Animal (1)	Animal (1)	Semi (2-4)
Treasure	Nil	Nil	C	A
Alignment	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral Evil	Neutral
No. Appearing	1-100	3-18	1-8	1 or 1-12
Armor Class	8 (See Below)	8	7 (See Below)	3
Movement	1, Fl 24 (B)	3, Fl 18 (C)	3, Fl 15 (C)	2, Fl 21 (A)
Hit Dice	1-2 hp	1d4 hp	4-6	4+4
Thac0	20	19	17 (4 HD) 15 (5-6 HD)	16
No. of Attacks	1	1	1	1
Damage/ Attack	1	1d4	2d4	1d4 + 1
Special Attack	See below	Nil	See below	Psionics
Special Defense	Nil	See below	See below	Psionics
Magic Resistance	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Size	T (1')	M (6')	H (12-16')	M (7')
Morale	Unsteady (5-7)	Unsteady (5-7)	Steady (11-12)	Elite (14)
XP Value	15	35	420 (4 HD) 650 (5 HD) 975 (6 HD)	650