All party skills that your heroes have have one point subtracted from them (so if he was at 2, you'd get 1, and if he was at 3, you'd get 2 ect.)
This is to simulate how everything wouldn't work 100% smoothly if their doing it, instead of you.
also, try doing a search (which, i know, whouldn't have given up many good results), and look in the apprentice guild, because that's where the FAQ's and other help's are located.