Player character: The player starts off roughly the same way every game, with only a rudimentary set of skills. The player will have the option to change their race and attributes but there are no specific classes, at least not at the beginning of the game. Through training the player may be granted certain titles and in combination with the training they receive this will fill the role of classes found in other games.
Skills and/or commands the player will start with may include:
*Basic weapon skills(slash, stab, bash)
*Fire starting
*Cooking
*Foraging
*Throwing
*Basic crafting
*Basic forestry for moving and seeing in forests
*Basic swimming
Training in slightly more advanced skills such as basic magic use will be available close to the start of the game and will make for good starting quests.
Advanced skills and/or commands include:
*Sneaking
*Ranged weapon use
*Armor/weapon crafting
*School specific magic use
*Golem creation(requires magic + armor set)
*Necromancy(requires magic + corpse parts)
Map features: Maps will feature forests, lakes, rivers, roads and rocky areas as well as minor features that occupy individual tiles such as cacti, boulders and shrubs. Towns and villages will have houses, shops and inns made from wood, stone and other materials. Roads will be appropriately generated in towns and villages and walls will be generated around larger cities.
Forests will provide several functions based on the player's forestry skill. A high forestry skill will allow players and creatures to see further and move faster in forests. A player with a low sneak skill but a high forestry skill may be able to hide in a forest to ambush other creatures or they can duck into a forest to lose their pursuers.
Lakes and rivers will provide similar functions for player's with a swimming skill. In addition, elemental spells with a cold effect will freeze creatures in place that are swimming in the affected tile and the frozen tile will provide a temporary bridge.
Caves will appear on some maps. These will have multiple levels and will have a variety of layouts. I haven't worked out the particulars of how these will be generated or what varieties they will come in yet.
Other types of dungeons the player may find will include towers and fortresses. Fortresses will be home to potential overlords and towers may house powerful sorcerers or even the dreaded lich. The player may also come across villages or hideouts of hostile creatures such as goblins and bandits.
A village may periodically be attacked by local bandits or goblins and the player will be rewarded for helping in the defense.
