Sorry if this has been talked about but if a card deals damage (goblin sniper for instance) does it bypass your defense rating?

Yes, it does. (Technically it doesn't "bypass" it since defense strength never comes into play in that circumstance, but that's semantics.)

A character's defense strength only matters when he or she is defending. Cards like Goblin Sniper, The Necromancer's Reach, and Dol Guldur Orcs just deal straight-up damage to characters.