Thanks for the response! I thought maybe changing the damage type for weapons (like a "fire sword") and "negating damage armor" (like a platemail that gives -1, -2, -3 damage to incoming successfull attacks). Something to think about, thanks !
Oh yeah, that's definitely the way I'd go in general too! Lean more into weird/specific effects. https://lukegearing.itch.io/treasure is a FANTASTIC resource for this.