It's a bit hard to give up the Empire option.
For one, the only spell that works is sigil.
It's the only reason people ask me to join raids on inners or PVE with mobs that hit all (ie zombies no good).

Even vs mobs, I don't know why debuff spells fail so much, they have only very minor impact on the fight.

Vs players with saves or racial resistances, necro debuff spells are really quite horrible. Not just the -4 levels either. I failed over 20 crimsons on a sleeping level 40 svirf. Imagine trying to crimson or poison a sleeping level 51 dwarf.

Cents, Circle and Damned are great too. Empire powers, especially as DL really make a spectre a viable char.

I knew all this and the risks of going for mummy. So I can't complain now. But still it's hard to accept when you were so close to having a pretty cool character.