I gotta be careful what weapons I have Lydia hold on to, because one time I gave her a whole bunch of staffs and she was blowing the whole place up with fireballs. I've even seen her use random magic attacks, maybe some scrolls I had her hold on to. Sometimes I wonder if she picks up items, because occasionally I look at her inventory and can't remember giving her all these scrolls and ingredients.
I always give her a fireball staff. And I learned to enchant my armor to resist fire. Yup, she blows the hell our of EVERYTHING in her way.
I have one NPC, a mod called Misha. She uses arrows of Paralysis. There have been many times that I find myself falling off the side of a cliff with arrows in the knee, head, face, back...I look like a Dragonborn porcupine...imobile, falling and ultimately dead.
But when sh ISN’T nuking me, she’s damn handy to have in a fight.
Yes. My housecarls DO pick up items. I take loot off them and sell it.