Now that I'm back from vacation, I thought I'd givea little more detail on what we plan to "gift wrap" for you soon.
Blighted Equipment will be found as loot from Withered Aegis creatures, as well as (rarely) the formula to make them.
Blighted Equipment has random techniques installed. These techniques are not the same as those that can be installed in a crafted item, though some will have similar effects. Some of the techniques add a benefit to the item, others install a penalty or restriction, and some do a little of both. While only techniques appropriate for the item are eligible, they are completely random, so it is possible to get three beneficial techniques and have a truly amazing item, or have three penalties/restrictions that make it less desirable than its crafted equivalent.
The techniques are random when a Blighted Equipment item is crafted as well as found as loot.
To craft a piece of Blighted Equipment will require the use of Blighted Cores as one of the resources. These are tiered resources that can only be acquired by deconstructing an existing piece of Blighted Equipment. So while the aforementioned Blighted Item with three penalties on it might not be very desirable to an adventurer, it still has value to a crafter for its Core.
Blighted Equipment has limited use in combat. The amount of Blight in these items is represented as charges. A charge is equivalent to one minute of combat. Combat is defined as the time in which you or a nearby member of your group is attacking or being attacked by a monster. Also, equipping a piece of Blighted Equipment will reduced the number of charges by 5. However, the charges will not then be further reduced on such items for 5 minutes of combat. In effect, only put on a piece of Blighted Equipment when you intend to fight. When an item's charges are gone, it is forcibly unequipped and can no longer be equipped.
Blighted Equipment can be recharged to extend its useful lifespan. Recharge kits are created by crafters using the appropriate skill (i.e. armorcraft to make an Armor Recharge Kit), and once again require the use of Blight Cores as a resource. An important fact to keep in mind, however, is that the maximum number of charges on an item are reduced when using these kits, so eventually the item will become permanently unusable.
The systems for the above are in place; we are now in the content creation phase. For theinitial release, we plan to have:
Armor - at least one piece of each material and type, such as Iron Chainmail, Flaxen Padded, Leather, etc.
Weapons - at least one of each skill at each level
Jewelry - at least one of each type (earring, necklace, ring) of each material
Dragon Scales - at least one piece of each type (chest, wing, etc.) for eachmaterial (where appropriate, i.e. there are no Bronze-Sandstone Head scales)
In addition to more of the above, new types of Blighted Equipment may be introduced in the future.
New techniques will also continually be added.
I'm excited about this new feature, and look forward to my first piece of Blighted Equipment!