In the long-standing gnomish tradition of measuring things, I took it upon myself to analyze a representative population of necromancers. By using a numeric "point" system for several individual characteristics, comparisons between various races were possible.

Cut-Offs and Other Lost Appendages

After sending out a lot of party invitations and subsequently performing a great many autopsies, I was able to establish a "points" value in each individual's characteristics. A pattern emerged where significant differences were noticeable at certain values. Careful observation of still-living test subjects confirmed this pattern.

The first "magic" value in this scale was 75. If any given characteristic was determined to be less than 75, the individual was working under a relative disadvantage. This was particularly noticeable in Agility, where less than 75 "points" indicated a significant decrease in the effectiveness of armor. This effect could be seen in other characteristics as well, although the effects were more subtle.

Additionally, a rating of 100 or more marked an exceptional ability. With at least 100 points of Stamina, complete fatigue did not lead to slower attacks as it did in those with less Stamina. Sorely injured individuals with 100 or more Agility were able to run at a regular pace while the less agile were moving slower. (For a while, anyway – these benefits diminished greatly as the subject got closer and closer to death. At the point of death, all movement ceased.)

Beyond the 100 point mark, significant improvements may have been noticeable at 25 point increments, leading to marked benefits at 125, 150, and so on. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough test subjects within those ranges to come to any meaningful conclusions – I'll need to send more invitations next time.

Those who arrived for my party with magical enhancements had some characteristics at truly remarkable levels. I found out, though, that achieving a rating greater than 255 exceeded the abilities of the mortal frame and conferred no additional benefit, setting 255 as a functional maximum on the scale. In the case of Intelligence and Wisdom, ratings greater than 200 seemed to have little real advantage, particularly regarding the amount of mana that could be contained.

Some necromancers, in their use of powerful magical tools, had decreased their Charisma to seemingly negative numbers on this scale. This showed no demonstrable effect outside of scaring merchants, but I intend to do a more detailed study on this particular situation in the future.

Playing by the Numbers

More detailed examinations made it quite clear that necromancers of the various races have certain minimum characteristics.

These minimum characteristics, however, rarely showed themselves in this way. In nearly all of the specimens studied, intelligence was rated significantly higher (25 points higher in most of them). Other characteristics tended to be elevated in areas with a particular racial weakness.

With a little prodding and some less-invasive testing, I was able to determine my own ratings on this scale. Not surprisingly, I was noticeably off the norm.

It should be noted that while this experiment showed my Intelligence as less than typical, I was the one holding the surgical saw while my "brighter" peers were scattered throughout the room in well-marked containers.

Conclusions

A higher point value in any characteristic confers some advantage, which is particularly noticeable at cut-off points. For many characteristics, however, the advantage gained is relatively small.

Not surprisingly, increases to Intelligence make the greatest impact on the performance of the necromancer until the 200 point mark is reached. At that point, more benefit is achieved by increasing other characteristics to cut-off points, especially those below the 75 point mark. Other increases are fairly superficial on an individual basis, with the single exception of increasing Strength for the purpose of carrying greater weights without penalty.