So I had an idea for a kind of particular strength; basically the opposite of Consequential.  This is especially for characters dipped in the Styx, held by the ankle, IYKWIMAITYD.  My one version seems too weak, the other too powerful.  Thoughts?

Once a session, a defensive trait will "absorb" one dice damage (exhaust/injure) from a conflict where the particular strength is used.

OR

When the particular strength is used, and you lose the conflict, only one of the two dice used is damaged. 

The Bog Standard reply is "If no one says BS, you can have that PS." In other words, it's all up to the players at the table and what they see The Oracles telling them to play.

But one thing to note is that all of the other PS modifiers apply to offensive capacity or scope: more effective at reducing dice, easier to invoke, or greater range--to itself. Your "Defensive" modifier applies to something else: the incoming damage. What's more, consider the mechanics of it: We all now know how your PS works, and so WHY would we ever threaten you with the damage to trigger its damage-die reduction/ignoring effect? It would be taking our Big Stick and breaking it in half, reducing our negotiating power at conflict end.

Or let's put it another way: What if I came to play at your game and I said, "One of my forms is a die higher than the rules allow, but I won't choose which until we're playing and a form gets reduced"? You'd scream BS, right? OK, what if I just said, "All my guy's forms are a die higher than the rules say to use when generating a character"? BS again, right? Well, the former is what mechanically your first rule idea does; and the latter is actually a weaker effect than being able to ignore one die reduction any time you can invoke your PS in a conflict (which I've found to be QUITE easy, for most PSs that the munchkin players I know invent).

In short, I'd call BS if I were at the table and anything like your rule idea came up, for the reasons above. It breaks the game.

But I would SO TOTALLY do it as a GM, for a Major Boss. Yeah, I cheat like that....

I see your point.  But I do want to find the best of them if I can.

Maybe "Ablative" - a Particular Strength that you can use to absorb dice damage by lowering its die instead of one of the ones it's associated with.  So for example

Fancy Shield
d8
Ablative
For others

If you take damage to "for others" then you can reduce this from a d8 particular strength to a d6 particular strength instead.

Now, Ablative is a COOL idea. Yeah.... References the PS itself, it's unlimited in its defensive qualities. Perfect for "Armor" or "Righteousness" or similar (depending on the Form it protects).

Hell, for that matter, I see no reason it would have to be tied to a particular form; it could just read "This PS may be reduced in lieu of a form that is going to be reduced." I like that even more, actually: gives it a bit more utility while still not being unlimited or diminishing the Stick.

Cool  idea! Makes me think Vincent might need a post/page on anyway with such "mods" or "optional rules." Lord knows the IAWA page on anyway is a bit... sparse, compared to the page for DITV.