Necromancer - What should I train?
 

I'm assuming by hitting level 60 I'll run out of practice/training points. As a brand new (level 5 Gnome Necromancer) player, I've read that it can be helpful to train Sense Heading and I've already spent one point into Meditation. What else is necessary to train up? I understand Channeling, Alteration, Evocation, Conjuring, and Dodge + maybe a weapon skill, is there anything else that's considered absolutely essential? I don't want to waste them early on and somehow screw myself! I've checked the wiki pages and guides on necromancers but they're rather vague.

P.S.
What's the skill "specialization"?

After the single point in skills that require it, there is nothing you "need" to spend training points on.

That said, most people spend the majority on trade skills. As an INT caster, Research is available to you, plus all of the basic ones, but you have time to decide. That and it can get really pricey as you get up there, so it's not usually something you do in the early levels anyway (spend ALL your points, I mean).

As for Specialization, increased skill there lowers the mana cost of spells from that school. Those skills will increase just as the schools themselves increase (just cast spells from that school for a chance at an increase). The first one to 51, however, is the only one that can continue above 50. There is a quest in the Temple of Sol Ro that will reset your specs, but usually you just want to decide which one you want (not an expert on Necros, so someone else will have to chime in there) and just cast spells of that school until you hit 51 and then never worry about it.

Thanks a bunch! I do appreciate how vague everything is to an extent, but a little help goes a long way.

Do not train research until you are atleast level 51. You get more free skill the higher you are when you train research from 0. If you put a point into it already,it's not a game breaker. Just something to remember if you play another caster class.

If you plan on doing tradeskills it doesn't hurt to put a few into the tradeskill you want to work on.
If you want to do languages, you can put 1 into each of those.
a point or two into sense heading/swimming if they're at 0 helps get the ball moving on their gains.

As far as spell skills, you can spam cast the lowest level spell for each school of magic to gain those.
So let's say you're a necro and want to train divination, spam cast Invisibility versus Undead. meditate and repeat for divination gains.

Necro's generally want to Specialize in Alteration, so at 20 I'd put some points into Specialize Alteration to give it a head start then it should be the first to 51 skill just playing normally since Alteration is most of your spells.