Basic benefits to wielding your deity's favored weapon?

[Arelyn]

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere or is just taken for granted as common knowledge, but I searched for some time and could not find an answer.

Are there any stand alone benefits to wielding the weapon favored by your deity? Or is it only useful in terms of feats, traits and class abilities that specifically reference your deity's favored weapon?

For example, if a 1st level Fighter takes Iomedae as his/her deity and chooses to wield a Longsword, does he/she gain any bonuses or benefits without having to take a feat or trait?

[Galnörag]

So the short answer is a free feat if the weapon isn't a simple weapon, for example Calistra, whip is an Exotic Weapon.

The long answer that is half flavour and sometimes mechanically advantageous. Your diety's weapon is the one used by Spritual Weapon and Spiritual Ally, so Immodae's longsword is good here, Erastil's longbow less so (since you can't have your ally take an AoE because bows don't threaten, but is ranged attack so good.) Also if your diety has any Uber holy weapons out there they are likely their favoured one.

[Anselth]

I'm unaware of any special benefit to wielding the favored weapon of your deity. The favored weapon only matters to Clerics and Inquisitors who gain proficiency in it, and the magical effects Galnorag mentioned. Fighters, Rangers, etc. get no benefit other than flavor, as far as I've seen.

[Mergy]

A fighter doesn't get any special benefit. A cleric might get martial or exotic weapon proficiency. That's why a cleric of Gorum can run around with a greatsword, and my cleric of Shelyn doesn't have to worry about concentration checks to cast in melee (because of the glaive).

[Pirate]

Yar!

Proficiency is the main thing. Certain spell effects are the next things. Everything else are corner cases... for example:

If you are a multiclassed Cleric/Monk, you can take the feat Crusader's Flurry from Ultimate Combat, which allows you to make a Flurry-of-Blows attack with your deities favorite weapon as if it were a monk weapon (even though it most likely is not).

~P

[Arelyn]

Galnörag
Anselth
Mergy
Pirate

Thank you all so much. That clarifies things wonderfully. :)

[Fionnabhair]

There's also the guided hand feat from UC, which lets you use your Wisdom bonus on attack rolls instead of Strength or Dex.

[Mergy]

Unfortunately, that feat requires Channel Smite, which is quite often not worth it.