Even when crit tables are balanced (yes, this is a project being undertaken in the near future) there wouldn't be a way to accurately cost "scattering one's equipment around the mud". I believe what the point of this post is follows from the second paragraph of the section labeled "Critical Hits" from this web page.
As I understand it, Darkemud's combat system is one of its most unique and enjoyable features. As is evident by Rancid's most recent post, reinstating old damage types would mean a lot less coding time while expanding the realm of possibility and improving the thing players probably see most often.
As an aside, I don't know Aether's concept was. Anyone off hand remember talking to Excelsior or whoever coded it? I'll look through the crit results and see if I can figure out the general idea, but as I recall, its general idea was more or less "Fucked up stuff happens when reality warps"?
