Help me understand abilities better!

[Kumori_Kumo]

So in my ongoing quest to be the best Warrior I can be, I realized today that there are some abilities which in-game text doesn't quite explain in full.

1. Foresight. +20% Defense. Is that based purely off of my character's stats, my character's stats plus gear, or stats, gear AND other buffs? Trying to see how good this is or could possibly be in the future.

2. Raw Intuition. It parries from the front, but only physical attacks. However, do magical attacks crit from the sides and back? There's a small gap Awareness can't cover so I want to be sure.

3. How exactly does Vulnerability Down work anyway? Is it a defense increase, does it jump in front of damage before anything else is calculated, what?

4. Would it be more self-healing to use Bloodbath with Unchained+Berserk, or with Vengeance in a group pull?

5. If a dragoon used Life Surge and I used Awareness, would they crit in PVP against me?

Appreciate any help!