🚀 go-pugleaf

How about being able to chop off the other dude's arm or leg while in combat ?
Even vice versa.  I alway found it strange that taking damage during combat
still enabled me to use all my body motions.  Hey, if some guy swings 
his/her sword at me and gashes my arm, should I still be able to use it ?
For that matter, how about perishable armor.  

You could even have a spell to regenerate your arm/leg or even have it
replaced by a mechanical, stronger one.  Then you could turn the Avatar
into another Robocop. 
 
Semi-plot

Have the Avatar fall in love with the evil person (girl if Avatar a guy and
vice versa).  Then have the Avatar kill all the evil dudes only to be slain
by the evil person in the end, a kiss of death - makes for a great sequel!
 
Instead of being the Avatar, you be his/her apprentice, and it's to you
to expose the evil person to the avatar.  When the avatar gets killed in the
end, you take over as the Avatar's successor, yet still an apprentice.
As an apprentice, you dont possess all 8 virtues, so some fun parts during the
game is playing funny practical jokes on your enemies especially the evil 
person.