Yeah how would items work? When they're equipped? Held? Wielded? Used? Dropped? Exploded? Etc.
oh, simple... each item would have two sets of stat modifying properties, I guess:
"statModifiersWhenInInventory"
"statModifiersWhenInHand"
but yeah, I can see trouble brewing on the horizon: what happens if a unit has an item in hand, then falls unconscious, dropping the item, later wakes up and picks it up again...
but for a more RPG-like type of mod, these would really be nice. and to stay in the sci-fi realm: a 3x3 item representing an exoskeleton
like this one could be added, which increases
strength (and possibly TU)...
the motion scanner could be improved to increase the
reactions of the wearer (they see hidden movement on the scanner, after all), which would increase its use for sentinel use...
or, even more basic: carrying large guns that border on being impractical (autocannon, heavy cannon, rocket launcher, heavy plasma, blaster launcher) could actually give a bonus to
bravery while carrying only a pistol could decrease it