As a GM, when would you consider handing out a Holy Avenger and under what circumstances? Of course each campaign is unique and dependencies on magic items shift, but I’m after personal views.

Would you give it out earlier and have it as an item that give the Paladin legitimacy, letting them bond to this renowned weapon and uphold its legacy? Or do you hand this out to a high level player who has fought hard and been true to their oath even when it’s meant following the harder path, finally having this legendary sword deservedly bestowed upon them?

Does their god or order of knights award this to them? Or do they unearth it from a tomb that has been lost for centuries?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Id say at least them be level 10, and they have a holy quest of some sort or them beating a story arc villain to award them with it from there god or find in the baddies treasury. but you do what you want with it, I'm just giving suggestions.

That’s cool, definitely a memorable scene for the player under those circumstances. 

I think it's the kind of thing that the most devout paladin has. So maybe the npc head of a chivalric order has one and it's a big deal. A player character might have it bestowed on them by an order or their god. I definitely feel it should be a quest reward at a higher level. The paladin overcomes a crisis of faith designed to push them away from their oath and has that faith rewarded. Their sword becoming a permanent reminder of their deeds and the cost of their actions. I'd want it to feel like a burden and a blessing.

Perhaps even make it the “Excalibur” Blade that grants Hexblade Warlock powers for a just cause, but not wielding it til much later in a multi class situation.

Both options for me are valid.

Personally I would love a story where the sword is bestowed upon a humble low level paladin but it gives them a tie to the former wielder. Meanwhile, in the world, things are starting to go awry as a "new" evil force starts to change the status quo.

This wielder, a legendary paladin was slain in combat against this new evil force is the only source of "reliable information" regarding it since he risked life, limb, sanity and soul to ferret that out. Only by finding his remains, having him ressed by a friendly temple can you find the necessary information to use your blade to kill this evil.

Something like that but then with slightly more trappings and details :-)

If you want to hand it out at low levels you can also reduce its power a bit and have it grow with the paladin PC.

Start it off as +1 with only 1d10 bonus to fiends/undead. Then, as they go about their adventures, slowly give it more of its full power as the Paladin becomes more devout/behaves more in line with their tenets/kill a big bad.

I'd probaly allow it to reach full potential around 15th lvl since it legendary and so powerful when combined with the existing paladin aura. Spell resist with the +5 CHA bonus they get to all saves basically means they don't get affected by spells cast by anything lesser than an archmage. 

Quote from HamMan >>

If you want to hand it out at low levels you can also reduce its power a bit and have it grow with the paladin PC.

Start it off as +1 with only 1d10 bonus to fiends/undead. Then, as they go about their adventures, slowly give it more of its full power as the Paladin becomes more devout/behaves more in line with their tenets/kill a big bad.

I'd probaly allow it to reach full potential around 15th lvl since it legendary and so powerful when combined with the existing paladin aura. Spell resist with the +5 CHA bonus they get to all saves basically means they don't get affected by spells cast by anything lesser than an archmage. 

If you're going to give it out sub-level 10 then I would agree. +3 at lower levels is way too strong. In my games, an item of this strength would have a pretty strong adventure tied to just obtaining it. Powerful items like this just aren't laying around. 

Soo can a paladin if evil alignment use this then or would it be corrupted and become an unholy avenger of sorts?

I had it appear as a broken blade at level three and there was a side quest of them having it reforged which needed to be accomplished. This way they got a massively powerful weapon for defeating their first major boss but couldn't use it and needed to travel to a specific location to have it reforged. Which won't happen till they are further along.

My DM has just given my character one of these at level 7 as a reward for finishing the first major part of the adventure its a pretty tough Homebrew we are running so I think he's done it as a way of helping out the party.

For DM's who want to have fun with this and give it early.

L1 Rusted [sword]: Something tells you this blade is special, maybe it's the tingle of magic you feel when you hold it?  :: Just a [sword] that does an extra 1d6 radient damage to Fiends and undead. Maybe the Pally holding it will never know what it does?

L3-5 Tarnished [sword]: Looks like you've managed to knock the rust off of it... maybe it's special now? :: [Sword] is now a +1 that does an extra 2d4 radient damage to Fiends and undead. Well, at least it's definitively magic now?

L8? Glimmering [sword]: Ok, it's sparkling now... is that natural? Eh, at least it's definately magic now! :: [Sword] is now a +2 that does an extra 2d6 radient damage to Fiends and undead.

L10+ Holy Avenger: BAM! Just goes to show Faith of all kinds is rewarded! Time to smit- DEUS VAULT!

  So, I just made a entire adventure centred around the Holy Avenger. The PC, upon completing 10 LG deeds was acknowledged by a temple and given the blade as a gift/geas. The temple was assigned to protect and hide the blade from evil, tucking it in a humdrum hamlet. Since Paladins are rare, he was called to seek divine favour, recharging the blade and granting it the +5 to hit and 1d6 Holy DMG for evil creatures. Until then it was a simple +2 longsword. Has the LG deeds continued it gained upward to +5. The geas required was to smite a evil being and prove his ability to wield such power, lest if fall into the wrong hands. 

Counter question! When do you give it to a battle smith artificer or a thief rogue? (Probably 14th and 13th level respectively).

I handed out a modified holy avenger to a low level paladin and have allows the sword to level up in parallel with the character. Starting out as a +1 longsword, I have gradually "unlocked" additional bonuses and weapon features after completing specific tasks (vanquishing evil foes, protecting the weak and innocent, etc), until it was a fully featured Holy Avenger.

I have always wanted someone to find an item and have it grow with them.  What I did was have a 3rd lvl Paladin find a corrupted Holy Avenger.  Acts as a +1 sword with 1d4 necrotic damage.  As he grows as a Paladin his purity will purge the corruption from the blade allowing it to regain its former glory.  Also its cursed, so he doesn't like being away from it.  (I can scale the sword to keep it appropriate for the game).

He hasn't found out yet that its a Holy Avenger, I have dropped a few hints to keep him interested.  The sword seems sick.  There is an intelligence about the sword; it seems to need help.  Eventually he will make a temple trip and get told what it is.  Really excited to see the reaction on the reveal. 

This seems like a must have item for Paladins, but I would much rather use a shield and a spear. 

Would it be OP to homebrew a holy avenger spear?

we killed a giant frost worm for an avenger.. it was nice.

I’m in a campaign with 5 others. We recently reached lv4 and got into an argument over a deck of many things. To please the angry party I drew a card. The sun card. 50K exp and a wonderous item. The exp took me to lv9 so my DM gave me the Holy Avenger I would have quested for in later game stages. those cards are too OP. The sword is perfect!

I gave this to my players at level 3, but non of them played a paladin.

Now, one and a half year later they still carry it around using it as a nutcracker(literally)