I tend to prefer to de-emphasize the importance of followers because they are incidental characters. I think that generaly their contribution to a contest should not be the obviously decisive factor. Any other approach simply encourages tedious mini-maxing. Also, the book keeping would be just plain tedious.
I tend to only give folowers one or two abilities. Adventurers can augment follower abilities if the follower is the main actor in a contest, and followers can use their abilities to augment an adventurer, but that's about it.
In fact I use a notional third tier of secondary character. These characters have no noted abilities, but merely act as bodies for earning a numerical advantage bonus.
Simon Hibbs
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