I'm trying to understand how Hero's Defiance is supposed to work mechanically. One way to read it would be that it heals you after you take damage that reduces you to 0, but that does not help if you are dead. The other option is that it reduces the damage you take by the healed amount. That is more helpful, but makes less sense mechanically.
My search-fu has not yielded any answers. Can anyone clarify this for me? How does the spell work when the Paladin takes enough damage to go from max HP to Dead?
|
HERO'S DEFIANCE
School conjuration (healing); Level paladin 1
Casting Time 1 immediate action
Components V
Range personal
Target you
Duration instantaneous
The instant before you are reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, you can expend a use of your lay on hands ability to heal yourself as if you had used lay on hands, plus an additional 1d6 hit points. If this healing brings your hit point total above 0 hit points, you do not fall, and may continue to act. If you have no more uses of lay on hands this spell has no effect.
The sections I bolded seem to directly answer your question in the spell.