First, some question to get out of the way.
Am I wasting time on this? Yes.
Why? It has already been explained in many ways and at even more times, FL is a violent place and no one should be safe here.
What are you talking about? Non-PK Classes.
I play FL not because of the PK. I actually hate it. A lot. But I love the game, it has a lot of aspects you just can't find anywhere else, and I've grown attached to a lot of the players. I pride myself on all the RP ideas I come up with, and as I get slightly older and slightly older I find the thrill of killing someone to get drastically lower.
The social aspects of FL is what I admire most. If I want to play a ruthless bastard who kills people with blue eyes, I can do it. Or if I want to play an androgynous biatch with a heart of gold named Meredith, I can do that, too. Many people claim they can RP while PKing, and while I'm not going to call them liars, I just can't figure out how to do that effectively. Time I'm in combat is time I'm not developing my character and it bothers me a lot. It's gotten to the point I'd rather just stand there and get killed than run around and put off the death of either me or them for 30 minutes. If they kill me, I can start RPing with them right off the bat then.
Non-PK Classes and the arguments on how they'd adversely, and my ideas how to make the adverse affects positively affect, the game:
"They'd wear a bunch of rare equipment and no one could kill them!" which also goes along with...
"What is the point of combat if you can't die?"
Well, how about just removing gear from Non-PK Classes all together? We currently have a system where some mobs scale to the level of those who fight them. (Tribunal Guards, Mobs that Raid Cities). So make the Non-PK class scale to the approximate level of gear/difficulty of their hunting partners.
A level 30 warrior with a level 34 invoker? The Non-PK class would advance to somewhere near the lower end of the group levels in "skill" with a basic set of skills to use in combat.
And they can die, just not at the hands of players (only mobs)
"Well, I see what you're saying, but what is the point in playing a character that can't fight anyone else? Aren't they, effectively, just Adventurers?"
Well. Yes. Until you make them able to interact in different ways. This has always been the barrier in PK muds when Non-PK Classes are implemented. Crypticant had an idea for Merchant classes at one point. And I love it.
So, set up a section where players can create their own shops, etc. This is great.. but it comes down to what will the sell? What will the make? And is it really going to do anything for the mud? I fleshed the idea out a little more than just that (I don't fully recall Crypticant's idea, so if this is 100% the same, sorry for making you read it twice).
We currently have an Empire/Army system in place, where Cabals fight to control various zones of the world. Add another sub cabal to each cabal, which is more of an outfitter section. Warmasters would have their people who would scower the battlefields and mountains, mining for ore, picking up gold, cutting trees for arrow shafts, collecting herbs for smoke outs. Knights would have theirs. And so on.
In order for the Cabal to fully take advantage of an area, they'd have to control it- while other factors would come into play (influence, alliances, etc.) Non-cabaled members would also be allowed to use any area for their resources, but to a lesser degree... but with no obligations to cabals... thus the trade off. A cabal who mines the Elvin Valley might get some fine, elvin mithril to help their armies (that the pk players control) lower their AC- raise HP- make them harder to kill. If nexus takes the pentagram, they could enlist beefier demons. A savant merchant who mines could give their armies better armour... or if they harvested something else- that could help their armies or generals even more.
This also would open an avenue for Syndicate to bend markets on resources for armies. Or close out other merchants/collectors/crafters from their sources. Cut throat business at it's best.
A player would pick, when making a non-pk class, a "profession" and one or two sub "professions". Where in, each one would be a Merchant, capable of buying and selling resources. But what would they specialize in? One might pick "mining" and thus be able to craft armour for their armies (or pc's) Maybe one would pick, "Woodcrafting" and be able to do arrows and other armors? Each Merchant could do all resources, but their specialization would increase skill/gains/and give some special items only they could get.
How would Merchant's work with PK players? Well, Haggle would be a problem, as well as extort. Unless, you figure it into the RP. Merchants would not practice their skills, but buy them instead. It could be with extreme amounts of gold, "renown", or cabal points. One skill they might buy could be, "Improved Haggle." which might make the PC pay a little more when buying their gear, or at least lower the bonus the PC gets when buying the Merchant's goods. "Willpower" would increase their ability to resist Extortion from Dark Knights.
Merchants would also build gear they could sell to players- they'd make the gear, they'd set the prices, they'd maintain their stock, and they'd cut deals. Would the gear be better than rares? Maybe some, if the players took the time to figure out how to make something. "Man, I want a want that cures blasphemy, but that one is out..." "Oh, you said a want to cure blasphemy? I happen to have two in stock, made by myself... I guarantee they'll work 50% of the time." "Wait, you're the Renowned Expert Sorcery Outfitter! Your skill at cutting wands, making parchment, and infusing magic is bar none! I can't believe I didn't see you there!" "Let's head to my store and talk some business..."
A merchant's goal, like any other players, is to get famous. I don't care if you play FL for PK or RP, you want to leave your mark on the game. Merchants would work on buying skills for their crafts/stores/etc. but, in order to unlock these skills for buying, they'd need to reach a certain level as well as a certain renown amongst the lands.
The Level would be geared the same was as EXP. When a Merchant reaches 50, they're maxed level. But they may have 5 levels of Renown to gain. Each level opening new tiers of skills to buy.
A level 30 Merchant specializing in Farming and Herblore might have skills to allow him to grow crops and pick certain herbs and make them into potions or food for troops/pcs. But, if the Merchant sells enough items, makes enough gold, gains enough CPs, or whatever benchmark is required- they could gain a level in Renown. The new level in Renown would open up a skill for purchase that would allow them to Raise more crops (think second or third attack) or Mix a new potion for sale. If they became renowned to level 3 at 30, they may have even more impressive abilities.
**"Well, what stops them from Renowning to max at level 1?" **
Well, time, and dying, of course. Each zone would have certain attributes to it;
The Dwarf Forest might have certain lumbers that are special for some items, but why would they be any better than the woods in Escimar E'gal... which is high leveled? Well, maybe they'd be better if it was reality, but in FL some things realism is lost to the aspects of better game play. A player could sit at level 1 and build renown like a mad man, but it wouldn't help them.... when they could invest the time to get to 50 and reach max renown in half the time.
FL has a lot of Zone types, many are indicated by colour of the room name. Merchants might have a new flag near that which denotes the room type for sure, so that they'd know what they could do in that room.
"What about skills at level 10 that are higher renown-leveled and the player is now 20, are they useless?"
No. Not at all. They'll just be better using them at 20 than they would have at 10. The level 10 skills would only harvest X amount of resource, or build X amount of items for sale at level 10... at level 20 that skill might do X+5.
"Alright, we know someone is going to spam someone they hate knowing they can't get killed... what about that?"
Well. Tribunal has a new Sub Cabal that enforces business laws. They say what you can and can't do in the city... why not what you can and can't sell? If some merchant flames you, becomes outwardly dickish, "tell tribunal, "This scheister is acting in bad faith of his business... it's abysmal!" to which the Trib would investigate and adhere the punishment required. Maybe a revoking of Mining rights? No sale in Val Miran for 2 weeks! No sale in Mirvhor for three days! 10% Tariff on all sales for a month!
If it continues, what would you do if someone was breaking rules knowing there was no reprisal now? Prayer forum, pray, note to immortal. They'd take care of it. The player base is a lot more mature now, despite what the forums show in discussion at times 
, and I see none of this when I'm playing now-a-days.
"Would they need a description?"
Yes. If they want to pass level 15.
"Would they have religions? Ethos? Alignments? Races?"
I'd hope so, unless they're not alive in Aabahran! The dynamics would increase. Would a purity merchant sell a sword to a undead PC? Nope. But would they sell it to a Savant who was neutral when the Savants have a Lich in their cabal? RP it out and see if it happens.
"Alright, sounds all well and good... but isn't this just farming for the sake of farming and not hiding it?"
Well. Yes. And no. Like I said earlier, I'm about the social aspect of FL. Role playing. Figuring out what I'd do in a situation where someone else, a smart human being, throws me a curve ball I didn't see coming.
If I wanted to play this sort Merchant on my own, I'd play any of the Tycoon games... but I like to talk to people. I like to pretend to be something different than what I am at times... and I like to do it with people who are pretending to be something different than they are.
I love the story of FL. The Bloodletting, the Moon problems, the Shade War, the Minotaur-Elf War, the Starving Times, the times when a Demon who was a circus clown was terrorizing people, a allegiance of Ninjas joining forces to protect their own, a doll changing into a boy ala Pinocchio... but while watching people rip the faces off their enemies, getting poked in the side by a dwarf, the trials of the Righteous Palm, and the soon to be naval war between Marak and Falen Dara (I swear to god, this will happen some day if I have to pay for it)!... these are great times!
And I don't care if you put Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Janeane Garofalo and Edgar Alan Poe in the same room with a bottle of Absinthe, 1000 monkeys and 1000 typewriters, and half a pack of smokes... they'd never come up with anything as amazingly bizarre, disturbing, in-depth, and as fun as FL. And that is why I would love to see a way for me to enjoy the game in a different way- one that might allow others to also enjoy it a little more than they do now.
I can see this making everyone, PKer's and Non-PKer's having more fun.
a-g
