Unless your Con is 3, you'd still be alive. The spell has to slay you, which means kill you, not drop you to below 0 HP. You're only killed once you reach a negative amount of HP equal to your total Con score. So if your Con is 10, you'd need to reach -10 HP to be killed.
Dead
The character’s hit points are reduced to a negative amount equal to his Constitution score, his Constitution drops to 0, or he is killed outright by a spell or effect. The character’s soul leaves his body. Dead characters cannot benefit from normal or magical healing, but they can be restored to life via magic. A dead body decays normally unless magically preserved, but magic that restores a dead character to life also restores the body either to full health or to its condition at the time of death (depending on the spell or device). Either way, resurrected characters need not worry about rigor mortis, decomposition, and other conditions that affect dead bodies.
Destruction doesn't kill you outright, like a Circle of Death spell would. It causes HP damage, and if it brings your HP to a negative amount equal to your Con score, then yeah you're dead, and then you'd need True Resurrection, or Wish for your dead body to be restored and then cast Resurrection on your dead body.
Thanks for the info, i was not sure because of the wording of death effects; "Spells with the death descriptor directly attack a creature's life force to cause immediate death".
If it kills you instantly, it wouldn't cause HP damage, and it would be worded like this:
Circle of Death
School necromancy [death]; Level inquisitor 6, sorcerer/wizard 6; Bloodline daemon 6; Mystery apocalypse 6, bones 6
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a crushed black pearl worth 500 gp)EFFECT
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area several living creatures within a 40-ft.-radius burst
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yesDESCRIPTION
Circle of death snuffs out the life force of living creatures, killing them instantly. The spell slays 1d4 HD worth of living creatures per caster level (maximum 20d4). Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first; among creatures with equal HD, those who are closest to the burst’s point of origin are affected first. No creature of 9 or more HD can be affected, and HD that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted.
In the case of Destruction, the reason it has the [Death] descriptor is because it had the [Death] descriptor in 3.5 and DID instantly kill you.
I'm sure you're going to get into a discussion/debate with your GM, and he probably remembers how strong Destruction/Slay Living was in 3.5. For reference, Paizo nerfed the crap out of Destruction and Slay Living. These just cause HP damage now, and cause extra effects if they kill you.
Destruction
Necromancy [Death]
Level: Clr 7, Death 7
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude partial
Spell Resistance: YesThis spell instantly slays the subject and consumes its remains (but not its equipment and possessions) utterly. If the target’s Fortitude saving throw succeeds, it instead takes 10d6 points of damage. The only way to restore life to a character who has failed to save against this spell is to use true resurrection, a carefully worded wish spell followed by resurrection, or miracle.
FocusA special holy (or unholy) symbol of silver marked with verses of anathema (cost 500 gp).
Destruction
School necromancy [death]; Level cleric/oracle 7, shaman 8, witch 8; Domain death 7, repose 7; Subdomain entropy 7; Mystery reaper 7
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (holy or unholy symbol costing 500 gp)EFFECT
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude partial; Spell Resistance yesDESCRIPTION
This spell instantly delivers 10 points of damage per caster level. If the spell slays the target, it consumes the remains utterly in holy (or unholy) fire (but not its equipment or possessions). If the target’s Fortitude saving throw succeeds, it instead takes 10d6 points of damage. The only way to restore life to a character who has failed to save against this spell (and was slain) is to use true resurrection, a carefully worded wish spell followed by resurrection, or miracle.
Slay Living
Necromancy [Death]
Level: Clr 5, Death 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Living creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude partial
Spell Resistance: YesYou can slay any one living creature. You must succeed on a melee touch attack to touch the subject, and it can avoid death with a successful Fortitude save. If it succeeds, it instead takes 3d6 points of damage +1 point per caster level.
Slay Living
School necromancy [death]; Level antipaladin 4, cleric/oracle 5, shaman 6, witch 6; Domain death 5, repose 5; Mystery bones 5, reaper 5
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, SEFFECT
Range touch
Target living creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude partial; Spell Resistance yesDESCRIPTION
You can attempt to slay any one living creature. When you cast this spell, your hand seethes with eerie dark fire. You must succeed on a melee touch attack to touch the target. The target takes 12d6 points of damage + 1 point per caster level. If the target’s Fortitude saving throw succeeds, it instead takes 3d6 points of damage + 1 point per caster level. The subject might die from damage even if it succeeds on its saving throw.
