Honestly I think there should simply be ways to bypass it. To think of salvaging it is a sisyphean task that simply isn't worth it without completely reworking the entire battle system.
- Auto-resolve would be nice if you were a certain level apart from the enemy, where you auto-win if xlvls higher/have a percent chance of losing if xlvls lower.
- An intimidation/reputation system would also be good, if the world actually recognized your standing in different zones. Such as after pacifying harpies, they'd have a 60% chance of being afraid of you and negotiate a way out of battle, with you being able to choose to force a battle or tell them to fuck off. Same could apply to the sewers. It would even be good if the rep-system somewhat bled between close areas. News spreads, succubi and imps start hearing about a new true demon being born/a demon slayer that took down all 3 towers, and are more afraid of jumping you.
- Perhaps even a way to "make an example" out of a previous conquest, which lowers encounter chances in an area for x-time
- Maybe even a negotiation/persuasion path that doesn't require constantly paying or fucking people as well. Like a silver-tongued PC could talk the raider into circles and run away as its distracted.
Basically, instead of trying to make the combat system itself interesting, which imo is nigh-impossible, we make everything that could happen before/after combat more interesting.
Those aren't bad ideas by any means, but making the combat system interesting isn't that hard either, hell I even made a 5e game that used some of the ideas from this in the past.
- First step is to remove all the pips (a game term for +1's that don't add anything meaningful), +1 or +1% is boring and does nothing to make the game interesting.
- Add more Perks, I don't even think you ever fill all your perk slots for the game, the traits slots or whatever that bar on the perk screen is.
- Simplify the Attribute system, as is you really only get to 3-5 Star rating by cheese like potions and burgers, and turning the enchantment system off.
- Expand out architypes a bit, have perks that reduce your ability to do magic or lewd damage, or vise versa, but rain more DR's and deal more damage or the like. Like a Jock perk you can get that makes your MP and Arcane get cut in half, but doubles Physical stat. Etc
- Gut the enchantment system, rather then being able to always make better weapons and items then exist, make it so you can only improve them to a limit, and that these special magic items don't cost Enchantment Capacity. (This will make it so that loot actually matters)
- Give more things Damage type immunities, and more variety in attacks. Everything as is basically does Normal Damage or Lust, when the game already supports more variety then those two types of damage.