Free Role Playing Game Supplement Review: FVS7 – Arena of the Gods

FVS7 – Arena of the Gods is a free role playing game supplement published by Adventures in Filbar. The supplement is loosely connected to the Lands of Calentria (it is optionally set in one of the nations) and, as such, is primarily aimed at the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition game.

This is a nineteen page PDF which lacks bookmarks. One page is the front cover, which has a slight difference in style to the previous supplement, as the colour is now grey. This is the first free supplement to use a new colour scheme, with grey denoting a free supplement (the other colours denote the levels of character that the supplement is aimed for; however, if a free supplement is aimed at particular levels – most aren’t – this isn’t indicated in the colour). The cover also has a map (by the looks of it done in Hexographer from Inkwell Ideas) showing part of the Lands of Calentria. Around three and a half pages are taken up by nine images, mostly stock photos, along with some text explaining them.

FVS7 - Arena of the GodsAround one and a third pages are the Player’s and DM’s Background. Arena of the Gods has apparently been used for two different purposes; the first is to give PCs who have been killed and cannot be raised a chance for resurrection and the second is in a Roman-style Coliseum conflict in the Roman-inspired Torlaian Empire. The supplement itself is an arena-style combat between the player and various enemies.

This is followed by descriptions of both victory and defeat in the arena. There are then eight different descriptions of entry into the arena, allowing variation between uses.

It is at this point that the supplement differs from the majority of free supplements published by Adventures in Filbar. Most, despite being aimed at various editions of Dungeons & Dragons, are either stat-free or stat-light. This supplement, on the other hand, has around ten pages of stats for foes. This provides foes for challenges of up to ninth level, with stats provided for one, or more, opponents at each level, with variations as well.

The supplement maintains a one column layout and seemed largely free of errors. The illustrations are stock and intended to give a feeling for the arena. This is one the more complicated supplements to convert to other systems, given the large number of stats, but it still can be done, more easily with D&D games where foes will be similar in nature. It is, by design, also largely setting-agnostic, as one use is as a “dead” encounter, so adapting it to any setting is not too difficult. The entire concept of having a way of bringing back to life dead characters is an interesting one too; this isn’t a guaranteed method (that would remove all risk), but it does give another chance. FVS7 – Arena of the Gods is therefore an interesting campaign addition, and it’s free, so click here to get it.

 

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