Why the classes!? I don't see any reason behind them other than 'looks' and 'Title'.
I mean, do you really want people to see you and immediately know your'e a thief? Or people guess 'Hey, that's a Werebeast!' with race? Doesn't that eleminate the element of 'suprise'?
Why not just, the different factions (I really like this idea, hoora to the person who came up with it!) and the people being more or less humans? (Nightwing's idea)
How you look will depend upon three factors:
-Armoury: Affects what kind and the level of armours you can wear efficiently, also affects the rate at which your armour gets damaged.
-Armaments: Affects what kind of weapon you can use, also affects the rate at which your weapon wears off.
-Affinity: Affects what kind of enchantment is applied to you, multiple enchantments may apply un one piece of equipment (If your armour is enchanted but you don't have this skill, it's just..an armour
.) Also affects the efficiency of the enchantment, the more you have of this skill the more effective the enchantment may be.
They have grades and of course, the higher grade the better stuff you can wear. Equipment also have pre-requisites of AAA for anybodyto use them. Of course, you can customize your guy or gal's face, body and such at the beginning.
Now, say what? Classes give you spells and such? Bull-****!
I don't see a need, just skills and abilities will be enough don't you think so? You can choose to be whatever you want, people won't know what you can do just by looking at you.
In so many MMORPGS, people go "Hey, what class are you?" "I'm a thief, you?" "Sorcerer." And...that's it! They don't bother finding out more 'bout each other because they can get all the information 'bout thieves and Sorcerrors at the website! It's fixed, it's static! WE DON'T LIKE IT!! Now, do we?
If there was no implementation of classes, it'll go something like this "Hey, what class are you? I mean, what are you good at?"
"I call myself a thief, I can get extra loot from stuff just by attacking them because each time I do so I have a chance of stealing valuables from them without keeling them due to the a skill I have called 'Pilfer'! You?" *Okay, this part might be a little farmiliar to some of you out there.
*
"Sorceror. I specialize in casting slow life-draining spells which last very long because I have input alot into 'Hex Endurance' and 'Curse' instead of placing all my skills into direct blasting spells, hey. You wanna party up with me? Pilfer's efficiency is based upon how dextrous you are, meaning you can dodge really well right?"
"Yah...I guess so."
"We can find a high level monster and have me channel the curse whilst you try to keep it busy, my curse does really well if I'm undisturbed and I also learn't hexes which lowers the monster's chance to dodge your Pilfer skills!"
"Kool! So, when do we start?"
See because you can elaborate 'bout what you are good at and THERE IS specialisation so varied, you can actually engage in productive conversation and even come up with a stratergy like people said before! It proves that class is merely a title, a fixed set of skills...limiting interaction between players and inhibits strategising.
Also, I don't like the idea of stats. INT being your pool of AP(Ability Points, mana...Magic points) and directly relates to your Magickal damage output. STR being how many blows muah can withstand and how hard anyone whacks.
Why not just individualise? How hard anyone whacks is dependant upon how many points anyone adds into 'Whacking'? How often you can cast your spells is dependant upon how much your 'Pool of Mind' is! How much 'Body Endurance' you have affects how much damage you can take, how strong your spells become dependant upon 'Strength of Mind'?
A man-hulk can crush another's skull easily but can be keeled with a single stab of a knife if he doesn't have any Body Endurance.
Many people argue that this system is complicated and mistakes are easily made with this system, not true. We seriously don't need to spoon-feed players by making sure they have enough mana to cast their spells or that their spells do any worth of damage, this invites careful planning and variety which is a definite appeal to most hard-core gamers.
Of course, skills can overlap one another to form a new set of skills. If you have a certain grade of this skill, a certain grade of another. You just might be able to unlock a new skill! It balances between people who want to be a hybrid and pures, in which many other games still cannot.
With that, here's my vague concept:
Skills and Proficiencies: A mere conflagaration cannot compare to a Wizard's Blue flame (Skill) but what if the Conflgaration is a huge explosion whilst the wizard's blue flame merely a candle (Proficiency)?
Abilities and Specialisation: Look that man over there, he dresses in rags. He looks like a noob, dresses like a noob. Is a noob at everything...except BLASTING PEOPLE'S HEAD OFF WITH KABOOM FIREBALLS..no...METEORS!!
What you want to call yourself, is totally up to you. This might even put the function of guilds to actual use! If your'e good at healing and defending against attacks more than anything else, a group of like-minded people might just form a guild and call themselves 'Paladins'. So, the next time people ask what your'e good at "I'mma Paladin." and if your guild is famous they will knows what you are!
I don't see the need for a racial template if the armour templates are varied enough, I don't see the need for a race called Elves if helms cover their ears when they put them un.