That reminds me of a certain immortal quote by a friend who used to beta test my mod over the lan; upon looking at my collection of uniques, he said:'just give me the 5K defense one with +4 to all skills and 50% magic find'
He had 10 Str. The requirement for Armor of Gloom was how much? 490 
'nah, I'll just make up the difference with charms'
ROTFL!
He would need 120 small charms of the Beast, +4 to Str, adding up to a Life Drain -600. Or maybe only 60 small charms of Gloom, with not only a more fitting name, but also only -120 to vitality. Or try socketing four Dreadful jewels, adding up to +80 to Str, and +80% strength requirement.
Best of all: he was the one who MADE the affixes for charms and jewels. Can you say 'total amnesia'?
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To practice the Arts of Modding is to be Damned.
To master Them is to be Victorious.
-D1 manual