Right now the mod has all basic tools and armor, there is to come abilities to all tools and to the armor.
The only current ability is the swords, where it causes enemies hit to levitate.
The material is acquired by crafting a 3x3 of shulker shells, and getting compressed shulker shells and then using those to craft a 2x2 and getting the actual block which you then smelt and get shulkerite scrap, if you put 4 of those with 4 lapis you are able to get an ingot capable of upgrading netherite in the same way you get from diamond to netherite.
The Shulkerite Team
