I'm new to the game and still early on, so I'm wondering: is Persuasion only useful on your main character?
It seems like with the other civil abilities, letting a companion specialize in them is fine, because they are used when you choose to use them. When you want to move something at a distance, switch to the Telekinesis character. When you want to examine someone or something, use the Loremaster character. If it's time to sneak, pick a lock, or pick a pocket, switch to the Sneaking or Thievery character. Want to sell stuff? Switch to the Bartering character. Hope to find more loot? Switch to the Lucky Charm character (actually, I think that one now doesn't require switching to that character and affects the whole party).
But Persuasion checks aren't initiated by the player, they happen when a dialogue with an NPC calls for a Persuasion check. As someone new to the game, I never know in advance when these Persuasion checks will happen. I'll just be talking to an NPC and suddenly I have to make a check. And once this check comes up, I can't switch to a companion to take over and do the talking.
As a result it feels like Persuasion is only useful on your main character until you've played through the whole game enough to know in advance when a Persuasion check is going to come up so that you can switch to a companion before it happens.
Maybe I'm just missing something here, but it feels like Persuasion would be more useful if Persuasion checks let you choose which character in your party could do the talking.
