How is this sufficiently different from stances to deserve a new mechanic?
How is this different from just giving everyone the Warblade's level 20 class feature? It seems to trivialize it somewhat.
"Deserves" or "doesn't deserve" aren't really design features for me. I'd have a pretty hard time answering that question. The three Combat Clinic Forms provide and underline basic functionalities of the discipline. I'm certain you've noticed that Combat Clinic isn't as build-neutral as most other disciplines. Medium armor and tower shield requirements, goad-like effects, and so on. Instead, it provides a platform for the Convalescent to express its combat functions in a variety of ways, creating versatility of execution from a limited action set.
I created the Forms because I needed a way that the discipline could provide the same things that its stances tend to enhance, but would have longer-term effects than boosts. The first and most obvious answer was that these should be stances, but since no two stances may be active at the same time (with the exception of Warblade 20), allowing this to happen inside the discipline
did seem to trivialize exactly what made soloclassing the warblade so fantastic. I tinkered with the idea of making a very small, very limited set of actions in the discipline "half-stances" and the Forms are exactly what came of that.
How does this differ from stances enough that they should be distinct? They're intended to be used alongside stances. Specifically, they're intended to be used alongside the stances that enhance or synergize with the effects they provide.
How is this different from allowing everyone to use Dual Stance? Forms don't do what Dual Stance does. They do something that resembles it, but seriously falls short. They don't allow characters to freely mix any two of their stances. Or for that matter, any of their stances. They allow characters to mix any of their stances with Angelic Grace, Oak Root Stand or Steel Golem Soul. After a little thought and consideration, I can understand how even this functionality could make you nervous, so I'd be happy to amend their original structure. I'll say instead that each one will require knowing 1, 2, or 3 Combat Clinic stances, and that Forms can only be used simultaneous to Combat Clinic stances. Would that be sufficiently limiting?
@sirpercival: I've been giving some thought to the class you mentioned, and to the Twisted Vellum discipline. I've got to say that I really love the idea of creating a class and then creating multiple disciplines designed to work with it. It's a marvelous system.
On Twisted Vellum, I agree that something that would cause words to leave the page sounds great, but when that thought was in my mind, I had imagined it more like a warding effect, which might force characters to adhere to certain rules while within areas defined by the writing, or along a line created with it. I just couldn't think of any way to make that work, so I hadn't mentioned it yet. Maybe you'll have more luck?
Another idea I had was "Scrollsong." Unfortunately, this was a late-in-the-night/early-in-the-morning idea I had that popped into my head just minutes before I fell asleep, and now all I can remember is the name. Maybe it will do you more good than it has done me. Or maybe after I wake up in a few hours, I will remember what it's supposed to do. Despite the name, I know it doesn't have anything to do with bard song or singing from the scroll. I think it was something more to do with the scroll using itself... but not to cast a spell. :/
...how
do I design a DR-like mechanic that makes 6000 damage less instant deathy and more "just frightening," while also not completely defeating the purpose of 50 damage? Straight DR 35/-- I can actually understand having in a discipline designed to reduce damage, but you're right in that cutting 6k damage down to even 25% of its intended size is still useless, and to even do so would just be ridiculous.
Reducing damage per die is one idea, but it doesn't pan out well in the long run...
What about creating a system for "hit points"? That is to say, a system which would allow a character to suffer from a certain number of hits before it starts suffering severe penalties or dying, and in which some hits might count for eliminating more of these points than others? Believe it or not, that's actually a half-serious thought. I just need to figure out a way to make it viable. OH, and not call them hit points. What would they be called, though?