Would it be possible to write a custom script to altar the players sprite upon encountering an object, or picking up an item?
For example, Player playing as a Paladin encounters an item during the campaign that blesses them with holy armor or something. Upon collecting the item, the player's sprite changes from knight_a.png to a modified knight_b.png or even a completely different actor xml if possible.
Such a script could also be used for something like making a character a "werewolf" when they reach certain areas, or pick up certain items.