Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-71.8.93.35-20130620224637/@comment-3496379-20130620231923

I think a revisitation of how armor and weapons could eventually break (as in Morrowind and Oblivion) would be interesting to see. Instead of these items having their own HP, there could be a mechanic in which their effectiveness is degraded (blades become blunter, armor becomes cracked and brittle) as they continue to take punishment, until their value stood at zero. Reforging the blade can then restore a portion of its damage or defense--the more of the materials you buy, the closer you'd be able to approach the item's initial statistics. There can also be a separate branch in the smithing skill tree that allows you to repair more with less materials, or have your weapons and armor take, say, 50% less punishment with each hit.

And while this next one is rather half-baked, I'm also wondering about something I like to call "adaptive level-scaling." Basically, you have your standard mob, right - typical bandit, for example. In Skyrim, these mobs could level with you, becoming tougher enemies to kill and hitting harder, as well as offering more loot. And this will be true here to some extent, BUT the game will take into account your chosen style of play. If you gravitate towards mage, then bandits (once you reach a particularly high level like the fifties or sixties) will have higher magic resistance, or be equipped with enchanted weapons/spells that mages can't afford to be hit by. The same would be true for the warrior or the ranger - though it would admittably be overpowered if a Draugr Deathlord with ebony bow-and-arrows (or a Falmer Shadowmaster with his poisoned sword) had the Deadly Aim/Backstab perk, respectively.