I hope that you can make your home with us as well. :)
Yes, you can spam skills to some extent, especially with kiel cards. However, we follow iRO, so we do have some delay.
There is no @die, but we do have @warp, @go, @autoloot, as well as @ali (which autoloots one item).
Some people feel that donation items are overpowered, but I don't believe they are too up there. Our elite set can compete fairly well. And anyone can get donation items, whether they donate or not. It just takes some time.
I don't believe they are any harder to obtain with no gear than with gear. Either way, the quests are long and take patience.
Yes, custom items can stand up to donate items. Some people play entirely non-donation equipment and can take out some people with donation items. Voting items, event items, and WoE drops help non-donation players as well.
If you have further questions, @request for a GM in game or ask around Forsaken City, @go 25. Please enjoy your stay!