Does the shield hardness block from multiple sources on the same attack? In other words, attack does 10 physical + 8 fire. Does a harness of 5 reduce each? One or the other? Or just combine the damage and subtract 5 off the 18 total?
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General
Trigger While you have your shield raised, you would take damage from a physical attack.
You snap your shield in place to ward off a blow. Your shield prevents you from taking an amount of damage up to the shield’s Hardness. You and the shield each take any remaining damage, possibly breaking or destroying the shield.
Blocking with a hardness 5 shield prevents a total of 5 damage.
Personally, I would say if the attack is 4 slashing and 5 fire damage for example, still reduce total damage from 9 to 4 and call it a day for sake of simplicity.
Of course, if a player wants to argue, that this example should deal no damage at all, since the fire damage (presumably) is a rider on the slashing damage, and that one got blocked in total, so the fire damage should not apply either, I advise percussive attitude adjustment with the CRB or a dice bag.
This still isn't clear to me. Okay, let's assume it is just as Taja points out in the RAW, and we just take 5 off the total. Say it's 5 slashing and 5 fire. My player happens to have 3 resistance to fire. Can they chose to negate the slashing and only end up taking 2 fire damage total? Or maybe they have armor specialization and have 3 slashing resistance. Can they chose to negate the 5 fire and only take 2 slashing damage total?
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In my humble opinion and as @mrspaghetti already pointed out you can only block physical damage. For one there is a clear description in the trigger of the Shield Block feat itself and then there are feats that allow you to block energy damage, so reverse logic tells us that without such a feat you can not block energy damage.
Emblazon Energy Feat 8 Cleric
Prerequisites Emblazon ArmamentWith elemental forces, you make your emblazoned symbols more potent. When you Emblazon an Armament, you can choose from the following effects instead of the effects listed in that feat. These effects have the same restrictions as the base options.
Shield Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. The wielder gain the shield’s circumstance bonus to saving throws against that damage type and can use Shield Block against damage of that type. The shield also gains resistance to that damage type equal to half your level if you have a domain spell with a trait matching that type (such as fire).
Weapon Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. The weapon deals an extra 1d4 damage of that type. Increase this extra damage to 1d6 if you have a domain spell with a trait matching that type (such as fire).
Please also keep in mind that immunities, resistences and weaknesses happen before shield block as per the steps of damage on page 450 and following.
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I've always understood physical damage to be bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing.
Personally, I would say if the attack is 4 slashing and 5 fire damage for example, still reduce total damage from 9 to 4 and call it a day for sake of simplicity.
Of course, if a player wants to argue, that this example should deal no damage at all, since the fire damage (presumably) is a rider on the slashing damage, and that one got blocked in total, so the fire damage should not apply either, I advise percussive attitude adjustment with the CRB or a dice bag.
I'd lean a bit towards treating it as de facto physical damage resistance. So in the case of 4 slashing and 6 fire, the shield block takes care of the slashing and the 6 fire is your problem.
This I'd even extend to when it goes through. Say we reverse this and your DR 5 shield is now blocking a 6 slashing, 4 fire hit. Block time. You block and prevent 5 slashing. You and the shield then take the 1 remaining slashing as per the Block. And then you enjoy your 4 fire damage all yourself.
To answer 'Why is your shield not burning?', I reply 'The same reason your padded armour isn't burning when someone drops a fireball on you'.
Personally, I would say if the attack is 4 slashing and 5 fire damage for example, still reduce total damage from 9 to 4 and call it a day for sake of simplicity.
Of course, if a player wants to argue, that this example should deal no damage at all, since the fire damage (presumably) is a rider on the slashing damage, and that one got blocked in total, so the fire damage should not apply either, I advise percussive attitude adjustment with the CRB or a dice bag.
I'd lean a bit towards treating it as de facto physical damage resistance. So in the case of 4 slashing and 6 fire, the shield block takes care of the slashing and the 6 fire is your problem.
This I'd even extend to when it goes through. Say we reverse this and your DR 5 shield is now blocking a 6 slashing, 4 fire hit. Block time. You block and prevent 5 slashing. You and the shield then take the 1 remaining slashing as per the Block. And then you enjoy your 4 fire damage all yourself.
To answer 'Why is your shield not burning?', I reply 'The same reason your padded armour isn't burning when someone drops a fireball on you'.
Sooo... if someone goes 'if I block the physical part of the attack, then the energy part does not affect me', do you use the CRB or the dice bag? :)
Sooo... if someone goes 'if I block the physical part of the attack, then the energy part does not affect me', do you use the CRB or the dice bag? :)Personally, I would say if the attack is 4 slashing and 5 fire damage for example, still reduce total damage from 9 to 4 and call it a day for sake of simplicity.
Of course, if a player wants to argue, that this example should deal no damage at all, since the fire damage (presumably) is a rider on the slashing damage, and that one got blocked in total, so the fire damage should not apply either, I advise percussive attitude adjustment with the CRB or a dice bag.
I'd lean a bit towards treating it as de facto physical damage resistance. So in the case of 4 slashing and 6 fire, the shield block takes care of the slashing and the 6 fire is your problem.
This I'd even extend to when it goes through. Say we reverse this and your DR 5 shield is now blocking a 6 slashing, 4 fire hit. Block time. You block and prevent 5 slashing. You and the shield then take the 1 remaining slashing as per the Block. And then you enjoy your 4 fire damage all yourself.
To answer 'Why is your shield not burning?', I reply 'The same reason your padded armour isn't burning when someone drops a fireball on you'.
I'd try the peaceful method, and reassure the player involved that the rule also applies against enemies.
Mainly because I have PDFs and I don't want to bounce an iPad off someone's head, regardless of reason.