Arbitrary / String Stats

Is there a way to set up arbitrary units and put in strings as stat values, either for HUD or in general? This is an interesting tool that I’m curious to play with due to the built-in inventory systems, but I often need to keep track of in-game dates (thus needing the unit CE or BCE) or have a description of a character’s status.

I see that units at least is governed by a very specific table. Is there a reason that arbitrary units aren’t possible, and is there a way to work around this?