enhancement requisites for powers to be added in warpriest sacred weapon

[Tommaso Gollini]

Hi fellas
i have a question
in the sacred weapon description / war priest, there is this passage

"The weapon must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus before any other special abilities can be added."

it is intended that the warpriest can exchange an amount of +x of a specific power only after he uses a +1 of his enhancement allotment to the +1 bonus or that +1 can derive from other sources ?

for example if i have a longsword magic + 1 (that is an enhamcement bonus) or just a longsword + 1 masterwork (another enhancement bonus) can i use immediately from level 4 a quality (like flaming, cost 1) ?

what is true ?
thanks

[Tommaso Gollini]

also, the "defending" quality (cost 1).
"A defending weapon allows the wielder to transfer some or all of the weapon's enhancement bonus to his AC as a bonus that stacks with all others."
that bonus can be ALL the bonus ?
say a + 1 enh magic weapon and a 8th lvl warpriest with a +2 sacred bonus (total +3 enh bonus weapon) can use a + 1 defense quality and move up to +3 to his AC (all the enh bonus) or is needed to keep at least a +1 attached to the weapon so his defense max can be + 2 ?

[kestral287]

If you have a +1 longsword, you can add Flaming to it at level four. A +1 longsword has "at least a +1 enhancement bonus", so it qualifies.

A masterwork longsword does not have a +1 enhancement bonus. You would have to add a +1 to it with Sacred Weapon, so you could not add Flaming to it.

Defending could move +3 in your situation, yes.

[Tommaso Gollini]

kestral, thanks for the help
but the masterwork definition is

"A masterwork weapon is a finely crafted version of a normal weapon. Wielding it provides a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls"

hence for me that weapon has already a +1 enh bonus for warpriest purposes

[kestral287]

When referring to weapons and armor, "+1 enhancement bonus" is a specific rules term that has a specific meaning-- the +1 to hit/damage granted by a +1 weapon.

Masterwork provides an enhancement bonus, but it does not provide a "+1 enhancement bonus" in the context of a weapon.

[Tommaso Gollini]

also, a warpriest can use only his/her allowable bonus right ?

let's assume he has a +2 magic weapon and is 4th level (+ 1 enh bonus from sacred weapon)

he cannot cast a holy quality on his weapon, since he is using his +1 and a +1 derived from the weapon to do so, right ?

[kestral287]

Correct. No properties of the actual weapon can be changed, you can only add new ones. The Warpriest has to be 8th level and working with a weapon that is at least a +1 natively to be able to apply Holy to it.

[Tommaso Gollini]

thanks again !