This will be in a similar vain to my suggestion for masterwork weapons as a crafted alternative to master/maelstrom weapons, but here it's the ability to craft helm & shoulder 2 piece sets as an alternative to monster sets. Crafting these would require 9 traits researched for the appropriate head and shoulder armor types.

There would only be 3 variations available, based on armor type:

Masterwork heavy armor:
1pc: +health recovery
2pc: when you take damage, you have a 10% chance to apply minor lifesteal to all enemies within 8 meters for 10 seconds. This effect can occur once every 10 seconds.

Masterwork medium armor:
1pc: +Stamina recovery
2pc: when you use an ability that costs stamina, you have a 10% chance to gain a second wind, restoring 1% of your maximum stamina per second for 10 seconds. This effect can only occur once every 10 seconds.

Masterwork light armor:
1pc: +magicka recovery
2pc: when you use an ability that costs magicka, you have a 10% chance to create an energy well for 10 seconds that restores magicka to allies within the well. This effect can only occur once every 10 seconds.

Thoughts?