In a game design I've been working on, the elements aren't just flavor, they have stats as well, here is an example, the minimum stat per a single unit of that element. {These are some of the elements, there are 3 or 4 missing from this list.}
Energy{default element):
Power: 12, Speed: 12, Impact: 12
Energy cost: 12
Ki:
Power: 15, Speed: 5, Impact: 15
Energy cost: 12
Magic:
Power: 15, Speed: 15, Impact: 5
Energy cost: 12
Fire:
Power: 34, Speed: 2, Impact: 1
Energy cost: 12.3
Water:
Power: 6, Speed: 5, Impact: 27
Energy cost: 12.6
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Sound:
Power: 2, Speed: 20, Impact: 10
Energy cost: 10.6
Plasma:
Power: 20, Speed:10, Impact: 2
Energy cost: 10.6
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Lightning
Power: 18, Speed: 29, Impact: 10
Energy cost: 19
Ice:
Power: 26, Speed: 5, Impact: 26
Energy cost: 19
Rock:
Power: 16, Speed: 3, Impact: 38
Energy cost: 19
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Holy:
Power: 48, Speed: 18, Impact: 33
Energy cost: 33
Hex:
Power: 33, Speed: 18, Impact: 48
Energy cost: 33
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Lit:
Power: 100, Speed: 100, Impact: 0
Energy cost: 64
Obscura
Power: 100 Speed: 0, impact 100
Energy cost: 64
Thus, if you where using a jack of all trades character, you would be able to use Obscura type attacks less times than a fire type attack. If you where a character with a high energy capacity, you would use Obscura abundantly, but since your characters power stat would be low, that 100 power of obscura multiplied off a low stat will not be much. The player would have to think when building around that element. Do they want to take advantage of its high power, raise their power stat, and be a hit and run type character due to their low energy capacity? Perhaps they have put both Power and Energy high enough to use Obscura several times in a row, but now they've become a glass cannon, with defense stats so low, that your offense is literally your only defensive option.
This is the nature of the game I'm building. There is no class, you just think how to build your character based on the fighting style you wish you to have.
The character customizer will be very flexible. It might have to use an improved version of the technology used in a few games you might not have heard of, where you could "draw" your character, and it would be rendered in 3D. I remember reading several of these games where based off a program called "Teddy", made several years ago.
I might use some limited form of it, restricted to individual parts, so things don't go out of control and somebody makes something obscene.
Anyway, you are not just limited to a human/humanoid shaped character. This game, you can make your character have four arms, tentacles, no arms, and so on. You can add wings, tail, which will affect what mobility techniques you can use. To demonstrate how this affects your stats, if you have a speed stat of 400, and four arms, each arm would be 100 in speed, if you had two arms, each are 200, you could attain 400 speed with two arms if you two hand your weapon. A weapon's hilt might limit how many arms you can use with it. A one hand sword's hilt value would only allow for a single hand to use it. Two hand sword, two hands, a spear would allow a four arm user to use all four arms to attain their true attack speed value. But the advantage of four arms is that you have the option to wield up to four different weapons,{although, if your using a soul weapon, despite the soul weapon being 50% of your original stat total, that 50% is further divided between the 4, thus each weapon is individually weaker.} Although there is the advantage of extra attacks and so on.
I'm still designing this aspect, and trying to decide how complex it can be, within the limits of whats possible right now in 3D. Sure, it might be good to keep it as simple as possible, but I think there is something to having your own fully customized character, colored the way you want them. This may lead to awful things such as people brightly colored in the worst combinations.
Because of the high level of customization, the game would have a myriad of unique builds, and no one person would look the same, unless they tried to copy somebody else or intentionally looked the same for guild purposes.
Anyway, as you can see, this game is very complex, I've only explained very small parts of it, and it's already turned the post huge. That is why it is a game I'm leaving for when I have the actual resources to do.
As for the weapon types in the game, there are the ones you are familiar with: Sword, Axe, Club, Bow, and so on. But because of the setting of this game, there are things like gloves, gauntlets, amulets, "guns", "Internal", "glass", and several other weapons that you wouldn't see together at the same time.
For example, "Guns" can range from Flintlocks with magic ammo, to futuristic "laser" guns{these would be compatible with elements such as energy, plasma, and lightning}.
"Internal" are microscopic weapons that modify some aspect of the user to increase their power like a weapon would. For example, if a sword increases your attack power, an "internal" weapon that hardens your skin would act like a shield and gauntlet at once. Another "internal" type might turn the users limb flexible like a whip, allowing them to use whip type techniques without the actual weapon, as well as using the flexible property in certain defense techniques, or even counter techniques such as catching a projectile and rebounding it back. The drawback of these weapons is that they have to be activated to use, otherwise, the person is practically weaponless while it is in-active. There is more to these weapons, but explaining it all would make this post's overall length even bigger.
Glass refers to things like Mirrors, Magnifying glass, and telescopes. In other games, these are just useless items, but here, they are weapons. Wher a sword is a weapon that increases kinetic force/physical attacks, glass weapons increase the power of linear energy attacks, such as energy, magic, and lit.} Mirror would be the Shields equivalent, in that while Shields defend/block/deflect physical attacks, Mirrors do so for non-physical attacks.
Some weapons might look humorous, such as within the club types, you have wooden club, mace, flail, hammers, and even giant wrenches.
The aesthetics of a weapon can range from medieval, to futuristic designs. Variety is a prevailent theme in this game.
I do plan to re-organize the type naming convention of weapons. Maybe something like Bludgeon type for all blunt weapons, Edge type for weapons with an edge, even if its a non-cutting sword, and so on. Ability type for internal and similar weapons.
I should probably move this portion of the post below the plus line to a separate thread.