James Jacobs Creative Director May 3, 2011, 05:28 PM | Flag | List | FAQ | Reply 8 people marked this as FAQ candidate. Answered in the errata. 1 person marked this as a favorite. + James Jacobs Breath of life effectively rescues someone from death BEFORE that negative level sets in. If you "die" and are restored to life within a round by breath of life, you do not gain a negative level. Note also that it's a great idea to have multiple characters in a party have breath of life if possible; you can cast the spell multiple times in that crucial round, after all, which is how you can use the spell to rescue someone at a hideous amount of damage like, say –100 hp or whatever. I also STRONGLY suggest adopting this house rule: rename "breath of life" into "cure deadly wounds." That way, clerics can spontaneously cast it.