Definitely not a fan of the idea of letting the player customize everything about companions.
Stuff like ability points or starting specialization should be a defining part of who they are.
I know there will UNDOUBTEDLY be mods that will allow to change even more than that, but still, I wouldn't be in favor of making it part of the standard experience.
+1
I think the initial build of a character is part of its background and personality and I think that allowing to modify it is a wrongdoing to the character itself.
Sure, one can say "why does it bother you if I do it in my game?". It doesn't bother me, as it doesn't bother me if someone cheats or bug abuses in its game, but this is not a reason to justify cheats or bugs being present as a game feature.
I think the respect option of Pathfinder, both Kingmaker and WotR, is the optimal one. You can respect everything that comes *after* your first meeting with a character. Everything that came before, is part of the character itself and of its identity, both combat-wise and RP-wise.
