A quickie: I was wondering why it is rare for people to go Necro with anything but Illithid? Compared to the other races, are illithids really so much more powerful?
Non-illithid Necros?
Illithids have the shock ability, which takes your mana and turns it into some hp when you would normally die. This appeals to many people, because it's an extra buffer against death as a necromancer.
They also get a huge amount of mana and hp, and have probably the best stats for a necromancer. And finally, leech and cone of force are some really awesome abilities, when properly used.
And two resistences... and a Vuln.
It's the perfect Necro race.
A vuln that is only readily exploited in any real way by invokers or maybe good clerics.
Any weapons that exploit it are either very low av-dam, or rare as rare can be.
On Achvaahs, with some equipment substitution, I could have gotten nearly 1200 hp. It would have meant awful saves and mediocre AC, but the fact remains, I could have had more hp than anything but an ogre.
Another couple reasons...they learn stuff in 1 practice, and get 4 a level. I've also noticed they have a much easier time raising zombies when at equal levels to any other race.
It's a vuln that's hard to be exploited by warriors.
I could have gotten nearly 1200 hp. It would have meant awful saves and mediocre AC
Very bad idea. You would be isolated by clerics, dispelled by mages, and Wrathed by Paladins.
I play Illithids because it wouldn't make sense to RP a drow like a Borg. 
Illithids necros if done right have the ability to not only put you to sleep, but can shut you down from the opening strike till your dead...totally destroying a slept enemy without them so much as being able to fart.
wow people can still actually be slept at 50? are you talking about naked giants or something?
Landing sleep at 50 is rare, but if you do, it's pretty much all over(if you're an illithid).
savant illi necros with a certain light can lay you down to nap quite often.
Yes, you can get sleeped at 50. As with any spell, even if you have 1000 saves there is always a chance for it to land.
That is why a smart player uses Poison.
Even when sleept, there is no assurance that you will die.
I have for years frustated Necros on my Paladins and others by doing something different than you guys. By having good Mal Saves instead of Riduculous High Aff saves.
There is nothing like being sleept and regenerate while they waste mana and cannot land a single spell or just one.
But Santuary drop can be a pain.
Sleep isn't afflictive. Afflictive is arguably the least useful of all saves (edit: For non-rogues).
Yeah - and also who loads up on Aff saves on a Paladin.
Mental saves with a bit of Mal I would have thought. You can cure the most common mals, and with Sanctuary + Protection and cure crit, spike damage from high damage spells is as much of a worry as it is for some classes.
Having ridiculously high amounts of any saves is just pointless once you hit a certain point, for any class... and having really high afflictive saves can be a hinderance. Also, afflictive doesn't just deal with pure damage. For example, flamestrike/fire breath blinding checks against afflictive saves, not maledictive. Whilst I suppose I can ese how it's easier to get away with not having aff saves than it is maledictive/mental, that doesn't make them useless.
As your offensive capability drops though (lower hit/dam) then it does help to have a little more saves. I had poor afflictive saves with Pamiyn, but when you have around 60 hit and dam roll and , generally speaking the classes that use afflictive spells had a harder time (not saying I was great, just that that particular combination dealt mucho damage per round). Even in general, a nice hit/dam can sometimes let you get away with not stacking on the afflictive saves as high.
Dey
I, for one, would eliminate all ways to poison yourself but one... make behind a few locked doors and a score of mobs who morph to +5 your level... and then make it a potion and make it expensive. It's much too easy now to avoid classes which rely on an unconscious foe. I'd make it so you'd have to work to it.
3 classes can use well sleep taticks.
Thief, Ninjas and Necromancers.
Necromancers can PK very well without it. In fact the Sleep spell seems more designed for PK use at lower ranks, when they do not have the Heavy Zombies and enemies have lower saves.
They can also overcome poison with dispel then sleep.
Ninjas and Thieves should strike with surprise. That is the point of their class.
If you aren't smart enuff to get the surprise effect you are not worth of the sleep.
i've never had a problem myself dealing with it. I was thinking of it on a whole scale view. if we can bitch about one class not getting to use a specific sanc source, why not three classes having multiple skills all but negated. tit for tat.
I' date=' for one, would eliminate all ways to poison yourself but one... make behind a few locked doors and a score of mobs who morph to +5 your level... and then make it a potion and make it expensive. It's much too easy now to avoid classes which rely on an unconscious foe. I'd make it so you'd have to work to it.[/quote']
Agreed.