I have thought about this idea for rpg's for a few years and I think you may be able to pull this off.
In real life we meet and loose companions and sometimes run into them again and again, A companion role has been for the most part stagnant they level up but never really grow.
Loves and enemies crop up from time to time, they may go off and have families. They should age and evolve based on the relationship with the Player Charachter.
for example:
in the Fallout universe we acquire companions based on our karma etc. they travel with us and exchange weapons etc. but the charachter of the NPC never changes they don't age their wounds don't make them feel different.
What if Fawkes found you to be morally upstanding and offered a quest to help the super mutants be less violent and learn to grow? What if you said no and a resentment began?
What if you take a companion to a town where they are not well liked? just being associated with them makes the location and npc's of that town harder to deal with. conversations in the background about your companion are mentioned fingers pointed etc. giving you the feeling you may want to loose this companion or try to right the wrong they have commited.
Life choices have a true effect on them as they age and evolve next to you.
Say you dismiss a companiom and months later find what not getting together has done to them.
Charon a freed slave has become a freedom fighter and has created a merc group and is hunting down slave owners, since you spurned him in an earlier part of his life he has been leaving exidence that you are the leader. Thus a new line of hostility is created towards you within that area of questing.
Charon a purchased slave holds resentment towards you and at night you notice you are becoming ill and loosing health because he is slowly poisoning you.
Charon a freed slave and now friend has stuck with you through thick and thin and in order for you to live sacrifices himself.
Charon a freed slave has follwed you for months and realises you are evil and must be destroyed.
Charon a freed slave meets an NPC that converts him to be a follower of the atom and he guides you to do their work
As you can see the different gameplay would offer various and unfinishing quests and choices.
You would need a few writers to come up with the various courses of life that could take place it would offer DLC's in abundance and create a new form of gaming evolution.
I would love to hear from all of you about this and hear what your thoughts on the matter will be.
