Bladebound Magus DM Help

[WanderinCourier]

So I'm a rather new DM and one of the characters in my campaign is doing a Bladebound Magus, now at 3rd level hes supposed to get an intelligent sword and im having problems DMing that in, i dont want to just blatantly say he has it we both want some sort of story behind it, but i dunno how to work it in.

[Kaiten]

If you do not want to blatantly say "He suddenly has this new item", is it too late to have him put on some quest as his backstory? Acquiring some family heirloom or inheriting one soon into the story?

Alternatively, given the close bond and similar personality traits the wielder and weapon possess perhaps the blade is more so manifested from the ego/power of the wielder himself? Possessing the weapon the wielder currently uses or physically manifested through his growing magus powers. At least it gives a little bit of story instead of "You have this weapon now" if its too late for a plot hook.

[phlidwsn]

You can have his existing weapon start to 'Awaken' and reveal new properties, rather than having a new weapon suddenly drop from the sky.

[Red Fel]

So I'm a rather new DM and one of the characters in my campaign is doing a Bladebound Magus, now at 3rd level hes supposed to get an intelligent sword and im having problems DMing that in, i dont want to just blatantly say he has it we both want some sort of story behind it, but i dunno how to work it in.

Well, per the sidebar of the Bladebound archetype (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus/archetypes/paizo---magus-archetypes/bladebound):

A black blade is a particular form of intelligent weapon gained by a magus with the bladebound archetype. There are several ways a magus might gain this weapon. Sometimes it just appears among the magus’s possessions, and its origin is a mystery. Other times the magus finds a black blade during an adventure or event of some kind. Sometimes a black blade is passed down generation to generation in an ongoing search for a magus who can unlock its true potential.

So, the text itself gives you several options upfront: Have it appear mysteriously, have him find it, have him receive it.

Here's the problem - if you didn't want it to show up mysteriously, you should have planned it out in advance. You could have had him feel a "draw" in his gut for a session or two, leading the party to the place. You could have had him receive a locked box, which suddenly bursts open at the right time. You could have had him awaken one day with a tattoo of a black sword, which slowly filled in as he approached third level, and at that time the tattoo suddenly became solid, materializing as a sword.

You didn't do that. Okay, mistakes were made. Problem is, he needs his sword now. Coming up with a cool way to introduce it is great, but until he has it, he is missing a class feature. As a result, delaying in getting it to him is not an option.

If he likes his current weapon, I'd suggest turning that into the Black Blade. Over the course of a day or so. Plan it out such that the party is unlikely to hit an encounter just yet. Have a dark stain appear on the blade of his current weapon, slowly spreading, interfering with the weapon's magic (if any). Have him feel a murmuring, like a presence, in the back of his mind. Then, just when the party gets into battle, he draws his blade - which is now solid black, and talking.

In the party's next treasure haul, find a way to compensate him for the value of the lost weapon. Problem solved.

It's a bit of a rush job, but it conveys the effect you want.

[Kurald Galain]

You didn't do that. Okay, mistakes were made. Problem is, he needs his sword now. Coming up with a cool way to introduce it is great, but until he has it, he is missing a class feature. As a result, delaying in getting it to him is not an option.
Sure it is. The feature doesn't do a whole lot until level five anyway.

Your sessions will be much more memorable if you make a good plot out of this, than if you give in to "the player MUST HAVE his +1 to damage RIGHT NOW!!!".

[Geddy2112]

The blade is smart, and likely has agency. It is not going to wait around for the right person, it will seek them. Like a lot of familiars, the familiar finds the caster, not the other way around.

Wherever or whenever such a weapon is around sapient creatures, it will make its wishes known to the best of its ability. The next merchant they see has the weapon and just gives it to him, maybe out of fear, or maybe just cause the blade won over the ego of the merchant.

Or some random person is cursed by it and begs the magus to take it. Or if it is really strong, it flies out of a locked box towards the hand of the user.

Intelligent things don't just sit around and wait, they go get what they want.