First I would have all the features described elsewhere in my rantings. As for races, I would prefer the following:
The inherent spells listed above should only require 2-3 mana point or so, as opposed to spells learned as a spellcaster. Hence I recommend the spells no be the same as those used by spellcasters. In fact, how spells are divided up is a critical aspect of character development.
The classes are divided into cleric, fighter, thief, mage. (I would prefer the harder to program but more flexible and rewarding classless system, though)Those choosing a race with inherent spells get those no matter what class they choose. Again, the spells for each race can only be had by selecting that race, and are not on the class skill list of either mage or cleric.
To further add flavor to character development, there will be 5-6 deities. Each of these will hold power of certain things, like Life&Death, War, Magic, Nature, Mercy&Judgement. These will have no set "alignment". They merely promote their sphere. Their followers may be of any alignment, but it is a gamble when you try to guess how to please a god. By following a deity you recieve certain skills/spells only availabe to servants of that deity. There are different skills for spellcasters and nonspellcasters. Here is an example/rough sketch:
Special skills include harmful and restorative spells (that hurt or harm the life force of an individual, including energy drain and level restore), and also the channeling/summoning of spirits. Bhaal only accepts clerics and thieves as followers. Thieves gain slightly different skills, most involving the art of killing and more or less resemble an assassin class.
In general special skills include spells like "battlemind" and "spirit hammer", things which aid one in combat (but nothing to do with armor or protection). Furos only accepts fighters, thieves, and clerics as followers.
Gentha's servants recieve many spells pertaining to plants, animals, and nature (finding them, identifying them, etc). They also gain some control over the weather. Gentha only accepts clerics, fighters, and thieves as followers. Her clerics are this worlds equivalent of druids, and her non-spellcasters are eerily similar to rangers.
The followers of Thoram are critical in assessing the merits of what is just in their own realms, and much of Thoram's burden is passed on to them, along with much of his power. It is a serious and grave duty, requiring the ability to see past emotion to assess the merits of each case, yet not be so hardened as to forget the purpose of the heart. Fair and impartial is the watchword, and those who fail the standard are stripped of their powers, at the least. Thoram only accepts clerics and fighters as followers. Oddly, his fighters resemble the class known as paladin.
As far as the above deities go, only clerics MUST choose one to follow. The benefits are balanced by the fact that you are at that powers beck'and'call, and it adds +150xp to level. While each deity is presented in pure form here, good roleplay would allow for cults or factions to worship a certain aspect of each deity, such as an assassin version of Bhaal or a musical, magical, lore-laden and elven-esque version of either Naulya or Gentha. In fact, you can roleplay as following more than one god, but in game mechanics you can only pick one.
So. Let's assume all my ideas are in place. What is the plot? Well, I thought characters would start in a typical MUD world, except that it would have been dead for a long time. Everything crumbling, a few bleached bones or rusty swords here and their. No life bigger than rats, giant rats, spiders, snakes, crows, etc. No matter where you go everything is in ruins. The lousy starting equip would be explained in this context-rusty armor and sword, really old everything. But there would be hints of how things used to be. Royal crests, faded signs lying on the ground. Sacked and burned castles. Abandoned farms and temples. Thus newbies get basic equip and xp from the MOBs and practice looking, moving, etc. There would be a special room near start (recall) where players would feel something just beyond their senses. When they reach level 5 they can then see what it is--shimmering portals. Each portal takes them across time and space-to when the kingdom first started--to it's hey day--to the day's just before it's fall. Each map is the same in layout but of course different in content since you are in different eras. It is like a mystery-what happened to these people? What devastated this world? The portal room would be active in all worlds, but only PCs can see it. And oddly enough, every time a PC is killed, Bhaal determines it is not their time and sends them back....hmm, quite a mystery. And even after the first 3 portals open, there are others you can't quite see yet, for later levels. The question is, why have these mortal been Chosen? Of course, the answer is the same in all MUDs but here it is an interesting part of the story--they have been selected as worthy to quest to be an immortal.
Clans are not necessarily referred to as clans, but as affiliations. These can be true clans, cults, citizenship/military service, adventuring companies, etc. The affiliation also gives special bonuses and skills, just like race and religion. There are 3 permanent affiliations officially headed on NPCs but run by their PC-designated righthand persons. These include some type of roleplay military, a thieve's/mercenary company, and the dark secretive Shadow Cult.
Each affiliation has some permanent descriptive change to its members. No matter what equipment they wear or how the write their 'descrip', it is a permanent part of them. And it confers certain properties. For the military it is a uniform, for the thieve's it is a stylized brand, and for the cult it is a new body. In the case of the shadow cult, members actually gain a permanent ethereal form throught the dark magics of their leaders. Other affiliations created by players are also welcome. Because of the skills gained and support given through affiliation, joining costs 100-150xp.
Multiclassing is allowed but remember your deity. Followers of Bhaal can't multi-class to mage. And of course there are xp penalties for multi-classing.