Upgrades rather than equipment might be something. Best example I can think of for comparison is pokemon, rock climb, use something like chair abilities.
Turn based can still have some nice features, in the early stages being knocked over could take two turns to recover, then having a spell/magic/tech to recover quicker. Instead of a shield breaking bar, have a stability meter.
Throw up a design document, that'll give you room to get ideas down, problems and solutions.