I personally would probably go more for the opposite. Statistics (efficiency) decreases per about 25% endurance dropped. Repair 5 allows you to keep weapons in top shape 24/7, while lower repairs only prevent and fix the inevitable, but still suffers you with reduced efficiency until you get it better fixed.
Of course I really hate durability, but *if* it had to be in; that way.
Reducing the bonuses a piece of equipment possesses as it loses (temporary) durability is also an interesting route to go, although it can be tricky to balance as your characters gain an extra, growing level of weakness as a lengthy battle progresses.
That aside, perhaps a solution rests with the repair (hammer) tool itself. The trick with durability is that there has to be a consequence preventing you from repairing your gear whenever you want. Otherwise, skills like Lockpicking lose their usefulness as getting through locked doors and containers only requires patience and multiple clicks of the Repair function on the weapon you use to bash these obstacles with.
The current deterrent for that behavior is the permanent reduction of max-durability every time you repair it (it makes you not want to use your weapon unless you really have to). If that is removed (and that's what we all seem to be looking for) the deterrent is gone - and that's bad for the Lockpicking skill.
What if, instead, we address that flaw by making the repair tool itself an item with durability that can not be repaired? It would lose durability every time it's used to repair an item, and the repair tool itself would eventually break, requiring the purchase of a new repair tool (which needs to be frequently stocked on vendors). In that way, the price of replacing the repair tool would deter players from damaging their weapons via breaking down locked doors and containers too often.
On top of this, you can still have the current mechanic where higher levels of durability loss on an item require higher ranks of the Repair skill. And perhaps we apply the idea that higher levels of Repair skill equates to a reduction of durability lost on the repair tool itself (meaning your repair tool lasts longer as you become more skilled at repairing items).
In short, we would end up with this:
- Items suffer temporary durability damage as used, excluding the player-purchased repair tool. There is no limit to how often these items can be repaired.
- The repair tool suffers permanent durability damage when used, and can not be repaired. Eventually, new repair tools have to be purchased. They should be frequently stocked on vendors.
- The cost of a repair tool should be substantially lower than the cost of repairing items through the vendor's repair function, encouraging players to invest in the Repair skill.
- Increased levels of temporary durability loss require higher levels of the Repair skill, encouraging players to either keep their equipment in good shape by repairing often, or investing even more points into the Repair skill instead.
- Permanent durability loss on the repair tool is either based on the amount of durability points restored on an object, or based on frequency of use. I prefer the latter approach because it greatly improves the usefulness of the Repair skill as it allows players to use the repair tool less often, while being able to repair greater amounts of temporary durability loss.
Going that route, we 1) make the Repair skill attractive, and 2) preserve the attractiveness of the Lockpicking skill, while 3) removing permanent durability loss on all equipment (save for the repair tool itself). Thoughts?
