Rulings on magic weapons / armor

[Oxylepy]

When I first started playing my GM held that your enhancement modifier on a magic weapon or armor had to be equal to or greater than the total effective modifier of any special abilities on the piece of equipment. Example; a vorpal longsword could be a +5 vorpal longsword, but not a +4 vorpal longsword.

I came to the conclusion this was false as I have never seen a ruling about it. HOWEVER, it seems to have stuck in my head that enhancement modifiers and special abilities cannot occupy the same space (up to a +5 each) and are distinct. But I am looking and have seen no rule about this. So could you have a +4 Flaming Vorpal Longsword?

Also, with set costs for special abilities, does that occupy part of the +10, as pfsrd has lead me to believe with their organization of special abilities, or can you toss that on top of the effective enhancement modifier? Example; could you have a +5 Greater Fire Resistance Heavy Fortification Full Plate?

I primarily GM and this has never come up (my players don't read their spells, only the descriptions, and still need me to explain how special abilities on weapons/armor need to have a +1 enhancement modifier minimum, last sentence of armor paragraph 2 and second to last of weapons paragraph 3), but I'm curious, as I cannot locate rulings about what my initial GM taught us/my assumptions.

[Fuzzy-Wuzzy]

Oxylepy wrote:

When I first started playing my GM held that your enhancement modifier on a magic weapon or armor had to be equal to or greater than the total effective modifier of any special abilities on the piece of equipment. Example; a vorpal longsword could be a +5 vorpal longsword, but not a +4 vorpal longsword.

Your GM was very wrong.

Oxylepy wrote:

I came to the conclusion this was false as I have never seen a ruling about it. HOWEVER, it seems to have stuck in my head that enhancement modifiers and special abilities cannot occupy the same space (up to a +5 each) and are distinct. But I am looking and have seen no rule about this. So could you have a +4 Flaming Vorpal Longsword?

Yes. Or a +1 Flaming Frost Shocking Corrosive Vorpal longsword.

Oxylepy wrote:

Also, with set costs for special abilities, does that occupy part of the +10, as pfsrd has lead me to believe with their organization of special abilities, or can you toss that on top of the effective enhancement modifier? Example; could you have a +5 Greater Fire Resistance Heavy Fortification Full Plate?

Yes. You can toss in Greater Cold Resistance and Determination and Righteous too---the only limit is your purse.

[Oxylepy]

Thank goodness. I was really starting to think I was overlooking something while trying to fine tooth comb the information.