Per Michael's Comments
Check the previous post's comments for Michael's questions regarding types of character classes available.
Per previous posts, here are some obvious character choices:
Dragonkin - Mages, Samurai, or Brutes
Eloin Forcebinder (Mage), Rocbinder (Ranger), or Wingjumper (Fighter/Mage)
Generally speaking, the world is a conglomeration of small populations except for the 3 main races (Humans, Dragonkith, and Eloin). Beyond that, however, you are free to make just about any type of character or race you like. There are Aztec-like lizardfolk who gain power through their dead ancestors souls that have been trapped in living crystal, pale-skinned Technomancers that fly steam and sphere-powered gliders and baloons, feline mentalists that can see seconds into the future making them nearly impossible to hit, ascetic humanoids that collect and control magical 'sparks' that are resonances of age-old spells and grant them longer lives, greater strength, control over fire and wind, among other abilities. Core-dwelling folk tend to be scrappers, or folks who make their lives collecting the discards of all the other civilizations, and might have weak attributes, but a Batman-like utility belt full with grapples, one-shot projectile cannons, and magic-sapping ironlike powder.
The classes I am creating, for example the Eloin, are going to be geared more toward role-players. Even though they have fewer overall abilities than your typical D&D character, they will be just as powerful. This allows me to have cool magical NPC's without having to worry about which 90 spells the wizard has. The same with the Dragonkith; they will have great, but few, powers. Dragonkith or Eloin really just have a variety of powers that can be broken down to flight, telekineses, energy bolt, and a couple of defensive abilities. Certain dragonkith also get benefits to their physical abilities, while the Eloin have lower-than-average physical attributes.
Overall, the game should have a non-western feel, meaning no knights, paladins, or traditional sorcerers. Whether that means Asian-like ninjas or samurai, Indian-myth-like Orangutan Mystics wielding slings and rods, or Meso-American jaguar or ocelot lycanthropes, I'll leave that up to each player. Of course, there is one fully human kingdom where one could be a 'typical' fighter, but even there the cooler classes would be a Spellsword (Arabian fighter with the powers of desert and wind), Gryphon-Rider, or Anti-Mage (Less cordially known as Spheresuckers).
Some things to note: spirits in the world are real, and folks can regularly (well, semi-regularly) expect to see the souls of dead people as they make their journey to wherever it is they go (hint: there's a mystery the characters can try to solve there). Instead of having balance in everything, which I used to try to do in my games, this game will have no balance. Instead of the four elements being equal, wind is dominant, earth second, and fire and water come in a weak 3rd and 4th.
Also to remember, the world is basically 'open'. People from other continents can literally watch you as you journey across a massive desert (glass, lenses, and telescopes are huge business), so ticking people off is likely to get them to pile on you when you least expect it, potentially parachuting, levitating, gliding, flying, floating, or teleporting in to either help or hinder you.
Magic in the world will be potent, but it shouldn't be spells that define your character, at least in terms of combat. If you want to be able to use the power of wind and earth to fling pebbles at high velocity at your opponent, great. However, there will be no 'throwing rock' spell per se, and if you are in a barren area with no loose rock, you're probably out of luck. But in some places you may be able to use that same ability to create a rock stair to ascend to an island that appears to have no way up.
There will be just as many cool friends and badguys as y'all and I can think up, and they will quite possibly be more powerful than yourselves. I anticipate three-dimensional battles where the flying, telekinetic monkey-shaman attempts to fling you off the edge of an island. However, even being thrown off a cliff doesn't mean you don't pull out the bat-glider wings and land gracefully (however disgraced) on the island of man-eating beetles 2000 feet below.
It is my intention that magic items will be rare, and those that do will not be your standard +3 doohicky. Instead, it might be a sword that only attacks once every 3 rounds but grants a cleave that means it can attack 4 times on the round it does attack. Also, magic items will not be used to grant bonses to your abilities per se. No rings of protection, no girdles of strength, or the like.
Instead, character will be able to grant themselves the same bonuses magic items used to do through their orders and guilds. For example, joining the Contemplation and completing the 7 Steps would grant you a higher wisdom, the ability to heal 15 damage once per combat, a bonus against mind-affecting abilities, free lodging and healing at any Contemplation shrine, and the ability to sense invisible spirits or creatures.
A more martial order of dragonkith might grant over time a +4 ac, higher physical attributes, a +2 in combat when fighting only one opponent, the chance to avoid attacks of opportunity, and a call to arms that once per week lets you summon all nearby drakes to your aid.
A magic order might grant an increasing spell-bolt like ability a la the warlock, the ability to levitate, increased charisma and dexterity, and the ability to barter with a Djinn for services once a month.
It will be like the prestige classes, with only the abilities being granted, instead of the spell progression, save bonuses, extra hp's and the like.
To be honest, I hope I am not painting myself into a corner and trying to build something that won't ever work, or that people won't like. I will definitely need a lot of folks help, as I have some grand ideas, but might need some help in translating them to a viable game.
Does that help?