[Will]

We are in dev, but...

NO.

We have no rule against it, but we discourage the practice and code accordingly. It's almost impossible to legislate out of the game, so I'd rather reduce the benefit of unattended scripting and make live play more attractive.

Yes, but it's going to happen, rules or not. You can build a lot of automated content with individual solutions, though, to alleviate some of that.

Depends on the newb, but we're building for extreme friendliness to new players.

We are building a giant toolbox of emergent abilities and resources where all skills are relevant and there are attainable checks and balances to everything. Skill potency scales vertically in the beginning and then flattens and branches out. The goal is an environment where new characters can learn their trades quickly, where veterans have flexible arrays of tools in their arsenals, and where player knowledge, experience and ability mean as much as character skill.

PvP is an outgrowth of roleplay, not a mechanical option.

See #6. PvE is an option at any time.

Any combination, though level is more of a mechanical marker and doesn't determine what equipment you use or which abilities you learn. Skilled characters can create equipment and items or attain valuable resources, so it becomes a matter of choosing what you want, allocating your time and building the character you envision.