Xooxer's point, I believe (and it's a good one), is that regardless of what the point of the game is, there are a vast number of players out there that will consider being the strongest to be their one and only goal... And still more that will strive for that goal, only to fulfill the ultimate goal of causing trouble once they get there...

No matter what you want them to strive for, they will do what they want... And there are far too many of them that would genuinely want to train up to the high level just to get those grief-inducing abilities... And they want them solely to abuse them...

The time spent to "earn" these abilities is something they will see as a payment for getting the chance to make trouble for others...

You said that you don't think anyone would spend the time to train that high just to cause trouble... When in reality, they will... It's almost a guarantee...

That's not likely to happen, unless by pure luck your first installment of players is disproportionatly goody-goody. Your game's very first players will most likely dictate how the rest of your players will view the game. If you get a lot of die-hard griefers (chances are almost certain that you will), then they will keep new players in check, believeing themselves to be the original, and only worthy, players of the game. They will more than likely do everything in their power (which, by your posts, is considerable) to stay the primary dominate players in the game, including shackling, gaging and otherwise tormenting your newbie players to the point where they leave. Once your game gets the reputation of "hellishly abused and not fun to play" you'll lose new players, and will have to be content with the ones you have who are ruining the game for everyone else. Eventually, they too will leave, and you'll be stuck with another dead horse nobody cares to even kick.

~X