Does Greater Magic Weapon make a mundane weapon magical?

[Barstro]

Specifically, I am interested in the following interaction;

Mundane sword (Paladin's Divine Bond);

Greater Magic Weapon is cast upon the spell (level 8 (+2))

This spell functions like magic weapon, except that it gives a weapon an enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls of +1 per four caster levels (maximum +5). This bonus does not allow a weapon to bypass damage reduction aside from magic.


Magic Weapon
Magic weapon gives a weapon a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls.

Then a Paladin uses Divine Bond (Level 8 (+2))

At 5th level, this spirit grants the weapon a +1 enhancement bonus. For every three levels beyond 5th, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +6 at 20th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon bonuses to a maximum of +5, or they can be used to add any of the following weapon properties…If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added.

EDIT: FOR CLARIFICATION

The first type of bond allows the paladin to enhance her weapon as a standard action by calling upon the aid of a celestial spirit for 1 minute per paladin level... A paladin can use this ability once per day at 5th level, and one additional time per day for every four levels beyond 5th, to a total of four times per day at 17th level.

Does Greater Magic Weapon count as making the weapon magical, so that the Paladin can use the +2 to make the weapon Flaming Burst? Net is +2 Flaming Burst. OR, does the Paladin still need to use a +1 to make the weapon magical, and get a +3 Flaming? (or am I wrong about Divine Bond stacking, and it would actually be a +2 Flaming)

[Psyren]

The bonus explicitly stacks with existing bonuses so I would say yes, a temporarily-enhanced weapon will count as magical for the purposes of DB.

[Segev]

Wait, a paladin can transfer his divine bond to a weapon from weapon to weapon? I thought he got one specific weapon.

[Firest Kathon]

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: To add any special ability (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons/magic-weapon-special-abilities/) to a weapon, it must already have atleast a +1 enhancement bonus. Casting Greater Magic Weapon (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/magic-weapon/) provides this enhancement bonus, as long as the spell is in effect.

The enhancement bonuses from the Paladin's divine bond ability stack with any already existing enhacement bonuses. So if you have a mundane weapon, case GMW for a +2 bonus and then use Divine Bond for a +1 flaming, the final effect would be a +3 flaming weapon.
If you would be using this combo on a +1 weapon the end effect would be the same +3 flaming weapon, as the +1 from the permanent enhancement and the +2 from GMW do not stack.

The caveat is, of course, that you are now spending two actions to buff your weapon before you actually join the fight (unless you have some rounds to prepare). With only minutes/level, both GMW and Paladin's Bond can hardly be pre-buffed (depends much on your game). In the long run it might be more efficient to get a +1 weapon (it's only 2000 gp after all) and use Paladin's Bond to add special effects, using GMW only as an additional buff for enemies which are especially difficult to hit. It may even be worthwile later to get +more weapons to overcome damage reduction (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/special-abilities/#TOC-Overcoming-DR).

Edited to add:

Wait, a paladin can transfer his divine bond to a weapon from weapon to weapon? I thought he got one specific weapon.
I see no provisions against it. In my reading the passage "If a weapon bonded with a celestial spirit is destroyed, the paladin loses the use of this ability..." only refers to cases where the ability is currently being used for the destroyed weapon.

[The Glyphstone]

Wait, a paladin can transfer his divine bond to a weapon from weapon to weapon? I thought he got one specific weapon.


If a weapon bonded with a celestial spirit is destroyed, the paladin loses the use of this ability for 30 days, or until she gains a level, whichever comes first. During this 30-day period, the paladin takes a –1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.

Looks like it's only one weapon, but if they lose it the ability can be transferred.

EDIT: Though I see that the 'only counts while active' reading makes sense too. So now I'm not sure.

[Barstro]

Wait, a paladin can transfer his divine bond to a weapon from weapon to weapon? I thought he got one specific weapon.

I cannot find anything that disagrees with you. I am posing this question under the thought that the Paladin Bonded with a non-magical sword.

[Psyren]

Wait, a paladin can transfer his divine bond to a weapon from weapon to weapon? I thought he got one specific weapon.

It is not a specific weapon. The "destroyed" provision refers to a weapon that is currently inhabited by your celestial spirit getting broken - if your weapon is broken while you're not using the ability, nothing bad happens. (Well, nothing besides the need to find a replacement weapon of course.)

In other words, you're not actually bonding with the specific weapon - you're bonding with a spirit, which can then inhabit your weapon and provide various benefits. Changing weapons does not change your bond with the underlying spirit.

[Barstro]

Long answer: To add any special ability (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons/magic-weapon-special-abilities/) to a weapon, it must already have atleast a +1 enhancement bonus. Casting Greater Magic Weapon (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/magic-weapon/) provides this enhancement bonus, as long as the spell is in effect.

You are treating "enhancement bonus" and "magical" as the same thing. I am not 100% convinced that such is the case.

Again

If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added.

EDIT: I think you also did not answer my proposed scenario;
Mundane Sword
Greater Magic Weapon Spell (Makes it a +2 sword)
Divine Bond to make it Flaming Burst. (Makes it a +2 Flaming Burst sword)?

[Segev]

Okay, it depends on how the Divine Bond ability works.

If it is a chosen weapon that becomes your specifically-bonded weapon, and you've no way of shuffling the bonuses once they're assigned, adding GMW to the weapon will just overlap any existing enhancement bonuses. If you can re-assign the bonded weapon bonuses (so it's a +1 flaming sword one day, and a +1 frost sword in the next fight because you want it to be), then you could use GMW to give it an enhancement bonus and then re-assign the bonded weapon bonuses to +X-equivalent bonuses, using the GMW's raw enhancement bonus to make it magical.

The latter works whether you can re-assign weapons or not, as long as you can shift the bonuses.

It would definitely work with the Occultist Transmutation Focus power that lets him imbue a weapon with bonuses. I don't know how the Paladin power works in relation to it.

[Barstro]

Okay, it depends on how the Divine Bond ability works.

If it is a chosen weapon that becomes your specifically-bonded weapon, and you've no way of shuffling the bonuses once they're assigned, adding GMW to the weapon will just overlap any existing enhancement bonuses. If you can re-assign the bonded weapon bonuses (so it's a +1 flaming sword one day, and a +1 frost sword in the next fight because you want it to be), then you could use GMW to give it an enhancement bonus and then re-assign the bonded weapon bonuses to +X-equivalent bonuses, using the GMW's raw enhancement bonus to make it magical.

The latter works whether you can re-assign weapons or not, as long as you can shift the bonuses.

It would definitely work with the Occultist Transmutation Focus power that lets him imbue a weapon with bonuses. I don't know how the Paladin power works in relation to it.

Nothing suggests to me that the bonuses are set in stone. I believe that they can be chosen as required.

Keep in mind, Bonded Weapon is not a permanent effect. It is minutes/level/day up to four times per day. So, the weapon in my posed question really is a mundane sword. Upon "activation" for a level 8 Paladin, said Paladin has a total of +2 worth of bonuses to apply for eight minutes. After that, it is a mundane sword again.

To clarify; my proposal is...

Mundane Sword that the Paladin has taken as his Divine Bond (although, after reading some responses, it looks like the Paladin can grab any weapon whenever he wants, but anyway...)
While it is still mundane, the party's level-8 sorcerer casts Greater Magic Weapon (+2). Giving it a +2 Enhancement Bonus for eight hours. (Question is, does that make it magical)
After it is now a sword with a +2 bonus, can the Paladin activate Divine Bond to make it +2 Flaming Burst for eight minutes?

[Psyren]

Your real question appears to be "does a mundane weapon with (G)MW cast on it count as a magical weapon for the purposes of Divine Bond?" There is no clear answer to that question, but given the stated effect of Divine Bond (i.e. that it stacks with any enhancement bonus on the weapon, without specifying a source of said bonus) I would allow this.

[Segev]

Mundane Sword that the Paladin has taken as his Divine Bond (although, after reading some responses, it looks like the Paladin can grab any weapon whenever he wants, but anyway...)
While it is still mundane, the party's level-8 sorcerer casts Greater Magic Weapon (+2). Giving it a +2 Enhancement Bonus for eight hours. (Question is, does that make it magical)
After it is now a sword with a +2 bonus, can the Paladin activate Divine Bond to make it +2 Flaming Burst for eight minutes?This should work just fine. There is no functional difference, during the duration of the spell between a mundane sword with (G)MW on it and a magic +X sword where X is the same as what (G)MW would convey.


Your real question appears to be "does a mundane weapon with (G)MW cast on it count as a magical weapon for the purposes of Divine Bond?" There is no clear answer to that question, but given the stated effect of Divine Bond (i.e. that it stacks with any enhancement bonus on the weapon, without specifying a source of said bonus) I would allow this.
I think the answer is implicit, and clear enough. It has a +X enhancement bonus whether it's from (G)MW or being an innately magic weapon. And that's all that the paladin's ability seems to check for.

[Psyren]

Agreed - I was more pointing out that there is room to disagree with that ruling (while not doing so myself.)

[Barstro]

Agreed - I was more pointing out that there is room to disagree with that ruling (while not doing so myself.)

Good, we are in agreement on both the answer and the underlying question. I was mainly checking if there was some other rule out there of which I am not well versed.

And, I believe I learned that the Diving Bond can be on different weapons throughout the Paladin's travels.

Thank you all.