@the legit you gave me an idea in your post about that:
I've been thinking about just the idea of negative stats that could provide a benefit, in exchange for some risk. Item examples (can be integrated in some item as oposed to a standalone item ofc) 1) Icon Name Bonus per level Fancy Maya's hair feather +0.080 Charisma +0.90...
forum.beta.the-west.net
what if sundance kids set give negative health points? (like that item:
MEDIUM FORT ON DT IN BOTH SCREENSHOTS

as you can see in both screenshots because i have -5 health points i earned +0.03 md and +8 resistance
(of course i needed to compare against no product equiped)
what if instead of having damage sector, sundance has like
-0.1 health points level (would be -25 at level 250, would need to be by level cuz in lower level would be possible reach negative hp)
this is a complete unique feature, because:
(it is the oposite to add hp in skill)
level interfere hit, dodge, and hp...
( Beginner bonus: 15 x {1 - (Level ÷ 250)} )
aim, lead and traps/hiding interfere in attack chance
{Leadership0.5 +Aiming0.5 + (Hiding OR Setting Traps)0.6 + Multiplayer Attack + Sector Attack + Beginner bonus + 10} x 1.15 x (Terrain attack + Tower Class bonus) ÷ Distance penalty
dodge, lead and traps/hiding interfere in defend chance
{Leadership0.5 +Dodging0.5 + (Hiding OR Setting Traps)0.6 + Multiplayer Defense + Sector Defense + Beginner bonus + 10 } x (Terrain Defense + Tower Class Bonus)
traps/hiding and hp interfere in resistance
300 × (Hiding OR Setting Traps) ÷ Max HP + Resistance Bonus
lead and hp interfere in damage
Weapon Damage + Sector Damage + [(Weapon Damage + Sector Damage) × Leadership ÷ Max HP]
+hp MAX interfere in have less damage and resistance
-hp MAX interfere in have more damage and resistance
Conclusion: So that negative hp only affect damage and resistance, is not the same as getting level, because as you could see, hit chance and dodge chance depends on level, however damage and resistance is only hp dependant... So one way to penalize less the loss of leadership effectiveness would be for the new sets, both damage like Sundance, and super resistance like Davis Tutts, to also come with negative HP.