Unless something changed that came straight out of my Kunark Prima guide book.

I wanted to roll a shadowknight and I didn't like the look of Trolls and Ogres (sorry folks, that's just my preference). I decided to roll a Human Shadowknight instead. I am happy with my choice thus far (he looks great in Bronze armor). In the end, the race will not make THAT big of a difference. I made this choice because it's what I knew I would enjoy most. You should pick a race and class which YOU will like to play and look at and not worry about what others will think. When creating groups or rotating in replacements, I have never omitted one because of the race. If we need a tank, we will take a tank regardless of race. Proximity to the group, level and reputation of the player are the factors we consider.

That's a very nice, if well-worn, sentiment, but looking cute is something you can get from gear. Perma-frontal stun immunity, if/when it's implemented, is unique.

Back on topic - why be a troll if you get a racial that steadily gets worse and is always insignificant in combat when you could get a racial that is always useful in combat? Even if it doesn't work at this very moment, isn't the promise alone worth more?

Frontal Stun immunity does work, and has been tweaked the last few patches. Unfortunately, without a shrink, Guise, or AoN; you have no other options as an Ogre. The Ogre "look" bothered me at first as well, but they are actually fun to play. Slam along with Disease Cloud will just be superior aggro to any other class in the game.

A wise man once contemplated the meaning of EQ. It turns out that its really all about fashion.

Unfortunately the only classic item that you could have used to keep your look changed all the time was the old Mask of Deception (or whatever it's called) in lower Guk. The original mask could be used by any class to change their form into a Dark Elf.

But that item was taken out of the game around the time that The Temple of Solusek Ro was released (just like on live) and now the new version of the mask is only usable by bards and rogues.

As far as illusion potions and such, most of those were released in later expansions. They were one shot potions (multishot versions were usually released later), And honestly, you would go through a ton of them if you wanted to perma change your form while leveling up.

I just wanted to clarify that this was on topic. The OP stated that he was rolling an Ogre Shadow Knight as to do otherwise would be "noobish". I was disputing this line of thought and was trying to open him up to additional possibilities. Yes, it is a "well-worn sentiment" however based upon the content of the OP, it warranted reiterating. I was hung up on such things too and finally realized that everyone was correct with the advice to go with what you like. He was lamenting the notion of having the Ogre look as a Shadow Knight so I threw in the suggestion that he consider other options and that if he chooses differently from the well-worn path of Ogre/Troll Shadow Knights, that he will be fine and not be shunned by other players (albeit with fewer racial abilities).
Also, in Everquest, appearance is an important element. People tend to look alike due to the limitations of the available graphics at the time. This is why there is such a push to get new items. They have function, yes but also the LCF (Look Cool Factor) and differentiate you from the hoards of other Ogre Shadow Knights or Dark Elf Necromancers or Barbarian Shaman.

When you NEED a tank right now, sure, take the gnome sk, why not? When you have a selection though, you take the best choice. I'm sure dps doesn't give much of a shit, but if you were a healer, which would you prefer to heal?

As for stun immune working, that's great! However, isn't there a stopgap rule about melee interruption that's causing it to be less useful than live?