The Magus subclass 'Sparkling Targe' has the following abilty (emphasis mine), which increases your shields hardness when blocking:
When you’re in Arcane Cascade stance with your shield raised, your
circumstance bonus to AC from your shield also applies to your saves
against spells and other magical effects. In addition, damage you take
as a result of a spell or magical effect while you’re in Arcane
Cascade can trigger your Shield Block reaction, even if the damage
isn’t physical. When blocking damage in this way, increase your
shield’s Hardness by an amount equal to the extra damage from Arcane
Cascade […] These benefits apply whether
you’re using an actual shield, the shield spell, or something else
that works like a shield […]
What does "when blocking damage in this way" refer to exactly? Does it refer only to blocking spells, or to blocking damage in general? Does the hardness increase apply only to damage from spells or to damage blocked from any source?
Best Answer
Yes
The increased hardness given by the Sparkling Targe hybrid study only applies when using Shield Block against damage you take as a result of a spell or magical effect while you’re in Arcane Cascade.
"When blocking damage in this way" most reasonably applies to this new way to block, and would distinguish between the usual trigger of Shield Block.