While I can't comment on the specific technicalities of how sanctuary works (curious myself how, exactly, it works in 1.10, actually), I can tell you of my own experiences with the skill.
First of, it gets TONS of style points -- those little sparkles extend to cover more than the whole screen, which leads to many comments such as "what are those things on the floor?" Fighting the undead with sanctuary aura active is enough to make you giddy -- level 15 sanctuary gives a much higher boost to damage than level 25 fanatacism (albeit only to the undead).
Other skills are really whatever you want to go with. Frankly, sanctuary is so brutally powerful, I wouldn't bother with synergy points. That leaves the door wide open for holy shield, one or even two direct combat skills, and at least one other aura -- fanat is the usual choice, of course, but to be more party friendly you could try out concentration or conviction. Vengeance/conviction is a great combination of course, but smite/concentration, zeal, charge or even sacrifice would be interesting ideas. Sanctuary is SO powerful, you'll want to try to have as many other options covered (for un-undead) to keep you well-rounded.
I can't recall 100% about the IM question, however, I do have some info about the way sanctuary adds damage -- first and most obviously, it adds a percentage to your damage (melee and ranged) when attacking the undead. Second, it lowers the physical resistance of undead creatures to 0 -- so you can leech from undead monsters, even if they're immune to physical damage.
Personally, I would use smite, charge or conviction/vengeance -- all 3 help solve your envisioned AR problem, though smite would be the best while using sanctuary in that regard.
The build is very fun and quite powerful. Just wait till you take a run through the sewers, the tombs, or the chaos sanctuary -- particularly if you add those planned +ED% to undead.
**edit (here to end): Just saw adamantine's post about blessed hammer. While the hammerdin can safely be considered 'back,' there are some considerations: mainly that it can take 80 points (hammer, concentration, blessed aim and vigor), lacks the sparkly effect (as I said, tons of style points), and will not be as effective versus the undead. Besides, everyone knows the most effective sorc in 1.09 was frozen orb and nova -- are you then suggesting that the problem with my brutally over-powered meteor sorc was that since orb is so much more effective, meteor is a waste? **
gekko
First of, it gets TONS of style points -- those little sparkles extend to cover more than the whole screen, which leads to many comments such as "what are those things on the floor?" Fighting the undead with sanctuary aura active is enough to make you giddy -- level 15 sanctuary gives a much higher boost to damage than level 25 fanatacism (albeit only to the undead).
Other skills are really whatever you want to go with. Frankly, sanctuary is so brutally powerful, I wouldn't bother with synergy points. That leaves the door wide open for holy shield, one or even two direct combat skills, and at least one other aura -- fanat is the usual choice, of course, but to be more party friendly you could try out concentration or conviction. Vengeance/conviction is a great combination of course, but smite/concentration, zeal, charge or even sacrifice would be interesting ideas. Sanctuary is SO powerful, you'll want to try to have as many other options covered (for un-undead) to keep you well-rounded.
I can't recall 100% about the IM question, however, I do have some info about the way sanctuary adds damage -- first and most obviously, it adds a percentage to your damage (melee and ranged) when attacking the undead. Second, it lowers the physical resistance of undead creatures to 0 -- so you can leech from undead monsters, even if they're immune to physical damage.
Personally, I would use smite, charge or conviction/vengeance -- all 3 help solve your envisioned AR problem, though smite would be the best while using sanctuary in that regard.
The build is very fun and quite powerful. Just wait till you take a run through the sewers, the tombs, or the chaos sanctuary -- particularly if you add those planned +ED% to undead.
**edit (here to end): Just saw adamantine's post about blessed hammer. While the hammerdin can safely be considered 'back,' there are some considerations: mainly that it can take 80 points (hammer, concentration, blessed aim and vigor), lacks the sparkly effect (as I said, tons of style points), and will not be as effective versus the undead. Besides, everyone knows the most effective sorc in 1.09 was frozen orb and nova -- are you then suggesting that the problem with my brutally over-powered meteor sorc was that since orb is so much more effective, meteor is a waste? **
gekko
"Life is sacred and you are not its steward. You have stewardship over it but you don't own it. You're making a choice to go through this, it's not just happening to you. You're inviting it, and in some ways delighting in it. It's not accidental or coincidental. You're choosing it. You have to realize you've made choices."
-Michael Ventura, "Letters@3AM"
-Michael Ventura, "Letters@3AM"