Welcome aboard. For the first character I would recommend a Mage. They have a very powerful pet and really need NO gear other than a training Robe which cost peanuts in the spells area to look good in.
They are not a evil race, so you can go almost everywhere without being killed, they get Gate and Bind affinity spells which are a God send, and VERY easy to play. The pet does most of the work for you. So it is a layed back class. You will die a lot but so do most of us that know the game well.
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] P1999 is Hard Mode, and that is what makes it so appealing.
Try to join a Guild quickly and ask questions on it. They will help you out very much.