Forget the basic Lvl systems ... Make it without lvl' , make it depending on Skills , you must be skilled to be good , you can't equip weapons and armor when you're a lvl to use it , Equip it if you're strong enough , if you can choose your path on the beggining and be better and better to be a HighKing it would be pretty good .

THX for Reading

so basically, without a basic leveling system there would be no limit to what you could equip yourself with. you could get full ebony armor as soon as you started if you wanted to, but because of your skill level it wouldn't work out to well. i.e. too heavy, slows you down a lot, you don;t get the full armour bonuses etc.
?

Make it about stats as well...say 100 str allows you to be strong enough to wear heavy armor...skill gives bonuses to heavy armor.

Welcome to the forums.
As said before the lvl acts as a restriction to avoid a FFA crazy madness. Also, for the kind of game (more 3rd person based) and to avoid "lag" problems and injustices, it will be more level skill based than player skill based. Player skill will be in the use of his skills, the order of use and so.