Here's a random idea about the evolution of (in General)

Tattoos/familiars...

Why not a familiar that is customizable... As in you directly train it's learned XP. You can't equip items to them, but if you train archery on it, and keep it at full effect (or anything over 90%) it takes on the HAL like ranged attack.

Why not simply make all tattoos act in this manner, maybe you want a HAL but don't want it to train dex and str equally, maybe at a different ratio?

It adds a lot more strategy to the mix.

Or something to that effect, I was just sitting here going, "Man I wish my Hal would train more HP!".

Familiar's stat unflexability if a balancing issue?

If familiars were the only tattoos that could alter stats then wouldn't the most versatile set of tattoos become even more versatile? Perhaps too versatile?

Well if you think about it, it wouldn't really change runes all that much, because if you're using a rune as opposed to a DD, it's for a reason.

We don't have to give the familiar EVERY option in the game, but letting you choose the xp concentration would add a lot to the mechanics of certain strategies.

We don't even have to give them ANY more options then they each come equipped with, just allow the user to choose where the XP goes.

Maybe I want my Hal to have 100k HP, 300k STR, and 100k Dex... get it?

why should familiars get even more advantages than other tats?