Here's a few changes I'd like to see.
1. make resists one property, that can't be rolled multiple times. For example, if you get resists as a property, it rolls for which one, then the intensity, then can't be gotten again.
2. Make FC 1, SC and Mage weapon one property, in different intensities.
Intensity level 1 (01-70) would be Fast cast 1. Intensity level 2 (71-96%) would be Spell channeling with no FC penalty, as one property. SC no pen with mage weapon would be 1 property, only occuring at 97-100% rank in intensity. if ability to go over intensity ever added to runics, each point of intensity over 100% would lower the bottom end of the MW penalty by one (a 120% intensity item with this property, say from an event, would have a random range of Mage Weapon -9 to 0)
3. Add toggles for hit abilities. Click on the weapon, and you get a gump like the one for ore/ore & stone for mining tools. The gump will allow you to turn on or turn off "hit area" processes, "hit spell" processes, and Mage weapon (force default to real weapon skill, and not suffer the magery penalty). The properties would still display, but with an "OFF" tag. They would default as "ON" (but "ON" would not be displayed)
4. If a SMITH-CRAFTED weapon has 3 or more properties, one will ALWAYS be Damage increase, defaulting to the smith's Exceptional crafting level (if the weapon is not exceptional; replacing any bonus from recipe & material as well), or to a +1 to +15 bonus applied to the Exceptional & other bonuses, for exceptionally crafted items. This will minimize the loss of otherwise good weapons to failure to craft exceptional, while insuring that the reduction of possible properties isn't made too overpowering.
5. Durability will remain, but with one intensity - you get durability increase, the item is automatically 255 durability.
6. Self-repair remains, but gets hit by a nerf stick. Self-repair will have a 15% base chance, -1 per every 10 points in its related crafting skill & -1 for every point of self repair, to cause the armor to lose one durability every time self-repair kicks in. So, in the hands of a normal warrior, self-repair 5 item will have a 10% chance losing a durability point on a self repair. However, the same weapon in the hands of a GM smith/warrior would not lose durability. This helps balance the desire to keep an active smith's market with the convenience of the property. (The same effect would apply to armor, and to all other skills and their related battle equipment)
7. For items that aren't naturally-medable leather (smith weapons & armor, bows, carpenter weapons & armor, Studded, hide & bone armor) Lower requirements becomes 100% intensity automatically when rolled.
8. Add more types of hit spells, or charge-based powers. The charge based powers would be things like immolating weapon, poison strike, etc. that aren't similar to existing hit spell properties. Non-duration effects would reduce weapon damage the way current hit spells do. Being charge based (And reloadable with switches), with a 60 second timer, would prevent their overuse.
9. Add the ability to choose one mod category specifically, at the loss of an additional Mod. For example, using a bronze hammer, which has 3 properties, you could choose to have all weapons you make with it have "slayer", but you will only get one other runic property on the weapon as a result. This would most likely be utilized on the highest hammers only.
10. Add some of the armor & jewelry bonuses as a rare (1% or less) chance of occurring on a weapon, like a skill bonus, regen, stat increase, etc. These can't be chosen as in 9. above, but will make some more distinctive pieces.
With these changes, one could nerf the hammers back down a little bit for crafting (about half the way from their current basement intensities, back toward their original basement - leave te upper end still at 100%) while not overly nerfing item output at all (these changes would more than compensate)
