This is a compilation of ideas I’ve discussed elsewhere. I talked about legendary magic items previously. Some of these require that you have a good idea of the value of the item. You can find values for magic weapons in Pathfinder 2, Hyperborea, and AD&D 1e.

1. Find It in a Hoard

This is a traditional way to get a magic item of any kind. You trudge thru a dungeon and plunder a vault to find an enchanted axe among the chests of gold and silver. You may have heard it spoken of in hushed tones as possibly being lost or hidden there.

2. Claim It from an Enemy

This is the other main traditional way to get a magic weapon. You fight your way thru enemies until you defeat the boss and recover the mystical sword he wielded against you. You probably heard it mentioned in tales about the enemy’s misdeeds.

3. Be Rewarded With It

A magic weapon can also be part or all of the reward for dealing with some threat that wouldn’t itself wield a magic weapon. Almost any lord or noble might have an ancestral magic bow and might even have more than one the heroes can choose from. You may have been offered it from the start.

4. Donate to the Church

A nice, fat donation to a major church/temple could get the priests to part with a magic weapon they’ve been guarding. Or it could prompt the deity to favor the hero with a vision of a wondrous weapon ripe for the taking in some dark dungeon or in the hands of a wicked villain.

This sort of thing is an opportunity for the player to voice specific hopes for the vision in the form of prayers to the deity. The hero will need to ask around about such things and hear a few rumors, then pray for one he or she’s heard about.

5. Sacrifice Another Weapon

Like donating gold, a hero might sacrifice one magical weapon (or other item) to receive divine visions of where another, better one, can be had. It should require adventure and danger, but it should be somewhat better than the last. But the sacrifice must be a weapon of value that the hero has used to slay a powerful enemy. Chucking some random +1 axe wouldn’t be the same.

This has the advantage of historical accuracy, as many old weapons have been found in lakes, ponds, and rivers in Europe as sacrifices to the gods of the time. This might be most appropriate for barbarians.

6. Be Entrusted with It

The heroes might be entrusted with a magic weapon as a temporary matter as part of a reward for completing an adventure. Then they can give it back when they find a better one.

Or they can be entrusted with one just for the purpose of one adventure where they will need its specific power. But it’s a power that–while cool and fun against the enemy on that specific adventure–isn’t very useful for most adventures.

7. Break Your Old Weapon

A GM might decide that on a natural 1 during a combat, a hero’s current magic weapon breaks. The GM can then provide a new one in the next session (in a hoard or wielded by an opponent). It might just be different (and more like what the player wants), or it might be even better, if it has to be won from a villain.

You might even say that on a dropped weapon due to a natural 1, the player can choose for the weapon to be broken. In that case, the next weapon should certainly be better.

8. Inherit It

One of the heroes could inherit a magic weapon when a family member dies. That could happen at any time, but it’s only natural that it would come at a cost. Perhaps the hero needs to pay other family members their portion of the inheritance. (If it’s worth 5,000 gp–and the only thing in the estate–the hero would pay the four other heirs 1,000 gp each.) Or the will could stipulate that the heir who accepts the weapon must accept a quest or avenge the deceased.

The player should know about (and perhaps choose) the weapon before the point at which he or she could inherit it. And accepting it should likewise be a choice. Perhaps the family has more than one item, and the player in question is in a position to choose.

9. Make It

At some point, the heroes might have so much money one can commission some wizards and weapon-makers to collaborate on just the weapon he or she wants. It would be expensive–probably half again the value of the weapon if sold. And it would likely require the hero to undertake an adventure or two to find the materials needed to complete the weapon and its enchantments.

In terms of gaming, this one tricky. If it’s too hard to make an item, they might as well adventure for it (or give up, embittered). If it’s too easy, they might make a business out of selling them. And if they create the perfect weapon, why bother adventuring anymore? Half the game is gone.

9½: Okay, Buy It

Last, and frankly least, the hero could conceivably buy the magical item via a broker of some sort. Do not create a “magic shop” they can browse–every player will want to buy something, and they may get “gold fever” and decide to try to kill the owner and take it all. Introduce a broker for someone who is willing to sell a couple of weapons and give the heroes a very limited choice. The items may have come from…

• an unnamed noble
• the church
• a moneylender who kept the item when a debtor died or otherwise failed to repay a loan

This is generally the dullest and least fun way of acquiring a magic weapon, which is why it never happens in folklore. Do not allow it to also be the best way by giving the player a wide-open choice.