I have currently 4 Pcs across 2 people. Guess I can have 4 accounts no problem then xD Not that I would want too.
One is a server PC that is setup to run multiple virtual machines on it and can be used for remote use. Basically you can connect to it from the internet and its like your very own computer. Although it is a BIT slow currently, if I cram in a bit of better hardware in there I could probably run 4-5 MO2 clients at one time, at least decently enough to have non combat characters on there and they could be connected to from anyone I'd give access to. Every instance has its own HWID and regardless of who is connected there is no way to know its being played by someone else. sSo it'd would have to be detected through IP use, but then again. Good Vpns are cheap and it will really only hurt people with multiple people playing in one household.
I'd bother with at most 2 accounts so me and my slave labour... I mean GF can play together. It is very easy to cram in everything you could possibly need across two characters when the crafting and combat pools are split. Especially when I will be playing with the other people from AI. Remember, this is not Life Is feudal. The only thing that impacts the quality of items is the crafting skill. If you process animals, or refine metals at a lower skill level, all it costs you is more time to get the same materials(eventually).
But even as a solo player, just one account is more than enough. You honestly think you got much to gain from being able to solo gather, extract and refine, butcher, craft etc etc. Over being able to butcher the animals you like to farm(or kill mobs that dont even need that to make money) and make money then to buy the materials, weapons and armor you need from the market? If a fellow guildie of mine was actually on the forums, he'd tell you just how FUN solo extraction is. I mean, its great profit, until you get killed and lose hours of work. Meanwhile you could have low-risk farmed money in a multitude of ways and just bought the materials or items you needed.
There are plenty of ways to make money without combat, too.
People wanting to do everything themselves might think that its more optimal, but its not. Don't people remember what a huge time sink a lot of the material gathering is in Mortal? The best way to do most of them is in a group, and then you do not need multiple people with the skills required to do the job anyway. Hauling alone is a massive time sink, farming animals with a couple people with a dedicated butcher or two, either on standby in town, nearby or even following is extremely efficient compared to hunting, then getting everything back to town and getting it to your own other butcher character.
How about metals? Well... One character can do the mining, extracting and refining. In mo1 you'd be sort of limited to a couple refining appliances, but you are usually fine with just one grinding/crushing appliance and a refining appliance of your choice. The bigger problem is not in the skill. Its the absolute massive amounts of ore you need to Haul, process, store, get more ore, process, store and then haul the processed material to the next step of to process at another appliance and process it, store, haul more. Over and over again. Having multiple people helping even just with the ore mining helps sooooooo much.
Gear crafting? Well, seeing as you can be a fighter, have any amount of animal processing you feel like is the most efficient for what you are hunting AND on top of that most definitely have all the skills maxed to craft your own armor and weapons of choice. That would just leave out getting the materials you can not get yourself from what you are hunting. Not to mention you could make money for the materials you need with other skills and in other ways than hunting animals to butcher.
I think the sheer inefficiency is what'll keep people from just having multiple accounts.