Quest For It!

Story time. In my first D&D campaign (Fifth Edition, of course), my character acquired a cool sword early on from a character who left the party, and I used it for a long time. Then I acquired a second cool sword. The first one had useful powers against demons. The second one, against giants. There was an interesting choice to be made about which sword I used depending on the situation.

Of course, my character wanted to not have to make that choice, and just have one cool sword that combined both. I suggested this to the GM, expecting to have a short arc where I'd have to find a smith with sufficient skills in the arcane arts - probably the elven smith who'd become hostile to us earlier in the campaign. I'd then have to persuade them to do the work, and likely do some kind of favour for them by way of payment. It would have been a fun follow-up, after my character's main motivation for adventuring had been resolved.

Instead, the next time we encountered a blacksmith, my character struck up a conversation, expecting the hook for this mini-arc. And the blacksmith said 'Oh yes, I can do that, but I'll need to get a priest to help so it'll take a couple of days and cost extra.' Well, in that campaign time wasn't really an issue, and money is irrelevant in 5E. So, what could have been character motivation and the creation of a really impressive magic item became just another transaction.

Now, everyone likes a cool magic item. They make characters more powerful, either by making them better at stuff they're already good at (I'm looking at you, +3 Sword) or making them good at stuff they couldn't already do. Give your Fighter a Wand of Fireballs. I dare you.

Getting that advancement because the GM decides it's time for you to have it is unsatisfying. It feels like the player is just an actor in the GM's story. And if you're running a campaign with story-based advancement, where new character abilities are gained when the GM says so, that goes double.

(Seriously, don't do story-based advancement. If XP isn't working for you, look at how you're awarding it instead of throwing it out. Making numbers go up feels good.)

Getting that item because you defeated the evil archmage or mighty warrior who bore it, or because you liberated it from the hoard of a terrible dragon, makes it into a reward. Earning - and I do mean earning - the favour of some potentate, and being gifted an ancestral blade, feels like you've made real progress in the world.

So, please, make your characters work for their rewards. They'll appreciate it all the more when they get them.