Or set in stone an exact number of guilds that can exist?  Or at least exist per region of the game? (So lets say, 2-4 guilds per city).

The guilds could be disbanded, leadership can be overthrown, but the actual number of guilds would remain very constant.

How would the guild wars start?  A rough game of cards or insults directed to people\'s family members?

I\'m not going to spend much time at this at all, because there will never be a 100% satisfied player base when it comes to the subject of PvP (or Anything really).

I actually don\'t know what the specific genre plan is for PS.  But there wouldn\'t be a PvP discussion forum if there weren\'t any plans for PvP at all.  Theres many approaches to it and they have already been stated.  Full PvP, Arena PvP, Optional PvP, Character Selection (PvP or not PvP permanently).

Let\'s face it, if this game is aiming for realism, full PvP is the most realistic aspect with a controlled system.

I could walk up to any of you and shoot you with my shotgun, but it\'s not like there are no consequences for doing so.  You have to make people AFRAID to attack other players, so only the bravest (or the people with the lowest IQ\'s) attempt it.  The NPC Guard idea is already used, already suggested, and always capable.  But usually it\'s not well enforced in games, and it\'s never much good once characters start getting really strong, (and they just beat around the law like ragdolls).

I salute you if you can single-handedly stage a riot against an entire city\'s law force.

When you die, you fall to the ground, your corpse becomes a lifeless object there.  (Possibly a bit smelly after a while).

Your spirit \'ascends\' (or \'decends\') to a spirit world, where you must somehow cleverly escape to get back to your body in the physical world.

Your physical body would be an embodiment of your spirit, ie, your character is the same in both worlds.

This could give the biggest penalty of them all, an annoying journey out of the spirit world.  So learn not to die you little newbies

Seriously though, this could even open up new horizons with other races.  (An entirely spirit world race?  Able to channel their energies and appear in the physical world.)

Sorry, it\'s halloween, maybe I\'m just in the fever.

I sort of like that idea.  Coupled with being not an incredible magic user or an insane melee fighter, thanks to \'Balance at Work.\'

You could use a light magical incantation to imbue fire damage onto your staff.  When you enter a melee battle, each hit you connect could add a little \'burn\' to your victim, ie minute fire damage.

So if you\'re normally doing 10 damage per swing with your staff, the enchanted staff does 10 damage + 1-3 fire damage, it would add up and become effective.

That\'s a bit rhetoric Goji, an assassin properly trained with daggers or katars could hit so rapidly you can\'t follow it with your eyes.

Also, the staff should not have *extra* modifiers to make the person wore down or tired.  Every weapon will wear someone down just as fast, or faster than a staff.  Combat in general would have modifiers for wearing the combatants down.

The way the PS system looks now.  There would be a martial arts proficiency including staff use, and staff use as a magical weapon.  Therefore, you would have to sacrifice skill points in both areas, (and possibly lack in both areas later on), if you want it as magic power and melee power.

Yes, you can block while dual wielding, otherwise any sword duels would be _very_ short.  It\'s called parrying.

If this turns out anything like d&d, or Neverwinter, it will have all the different weapon and defensive combinations.  Sword and shield, dual-wielding, and of course the lovely double-bladed swords, dire maces, and double-bladed axes yes? =)

Make the user decide what the staff does.  They can have the ability to focus magic power OR be used as a decent melee weapon, but not both.

Rabid Psychotic Super Casting Wizards that own warriors in melee, hurray!