Defend Action question

When you use the defend option to redirect an attack to yourself, do you then take damage, or check to defy danger against the attack?

If an ally is attacked when you are defending them, can you wait to spend your hold until after they check to defy danger?

You don't normally check defy danger against damage. If damage is the direct consequence of a move (Gm or player move), it can't be avoided. That is, if a move says you take damage, that's it. If a (generally soft) move says you're about to take damage, and the GM asks what do you do, you describe what you do to avoid damage; if that qualifies as "Defy Danger", you roll.
There are no "checks" in Dungeon World.

It's a fiction thing. If bob the wizard is attacked by wizards and you spend your hold to knock him aside and stand in his defense, the GM can say "As you knock bob out of the circle of undead, the horde swarms you, seizing you with cold dead hands, what do you do?" Similarly, if bob flubs a Defy Danger while running for cover from a giant boulder, causing him to stumble or hesitate, you might declare that you're spending a hold to knock him to safety and save him from the consequence of his miss. The GM might tell you to take damage from the boulder or ask you to Defy Danger yourself, but I'd be tempted to just deal you the damage since Bob already missed.

Great replies. Thanks for the input!

My advice for all those spend-and-hold things, if it says you do something, you do it. No move made (or, more properly, that *is* your move).

Now, if some other thing also applies or interferes, you might have to defy danger. I'm pressed for an example at the moment, but something separate from the actual source of damage.

So, they spend hold to redirect an attack, they say how they're doing it, it happens (and they take the damage).

As to your second question, I usually allow late application of the redirect. So, if there is any attempt by someone else to avoid the damage, they can do that. If they fail, then the defender can take the blow.

- Alex

Thanks!