My as-yet-unreleased game is using a simple Bad Guys then Good Guys but players can React by spending Stamina (which restores some each round and has other uses). The React isn't D&D coded - you can just insert yourself whenever or you can React to an enemy. It's been engaging in playtests so far.

Varies by city, as the major cities are all their own independent political entity. The sky cities will throw some criminals just off the island. That used to be a capital punishment, but nowadays it's common to include a spell coin that essentially casts Feather Fall on them - so more like exile.

Um. Uh. If you would like to be hypnotized and have your face eaten, then yeah. It's quite nice.

A deer mutated by magical radiation. It creates it's own pocket dimension and projects a field around it that instantaneously sucks any life form into its dimension. The only sign it is near is the little bugs and wildlife critters suddenly disappearing.

This is also important to consider when creating verisimilitude. It's setting dependent, but usually the entire world is not adversarial to your players - there will be some helpers too!

Thanks for the list!

The idea of using something like CR to gauge power levels of enemies and try to balance encounters. I feel like 5e did such a famously poor job that some systems just eschew balance entirely. My WIP system is at least giving it the ole college try!

I see it as a label, though one is misused as you've explained. "Rules as intended" is more interesting, as it inherently requires interpretation. The best lens is a level above that - taking RAI and morphing that to fit your game.

I agree. The world feels more alive when some enemies/factions are too strong for your players and they are forced to find another solution.

I feel this in my soul.

Magic is a physical material (liquid that resembles the night sky) and carrying burdens the soul. This limits spellcasters and magic items as one can only carry so much of the stuff.