Useing Items to gain Abilities

Okie guys, Im working on a map where people start off in one area of the map which has vendors that sell spell effects. Now the way it works currently is when you buy the items it goes into the heros inventory and the item is permenent so the use can use it as a hero's ability there. My problem comes is I would like ot make it so that I can make it so that the ability can level up. So I guess im asking two things. One, Can I make an item have level ups and Second (the way I want it) when a user gets item it gives the hero that ability in his regular ability box which can be selected to level up as the hero grows in level.

On an off note, Do you guys think a Footman Wars type of map where one can choose his/her own abilitys would be cool?

Thanks guys

Yes to both questions. But you will need triggers to do it.

Can you tell me how to do it please? I mainly wanna do the second one but if u could give me and example of both that would be great. Note: please think of the shortest way posible considering I must do this for EVERY ability :) thanks guys

Well I also made my thoughts for a map where u pick first your race (for stats), then your class (for more stats) and then skills (also depending on class).
And cuz I dont wanna make 20000 Heroes, I came up with this idea (untested)

actually u can activate and deactivate abilities units/heroes have
so i give all heroes all abilities and deactivate them.. and then they pick and trigger activates


the idea for your items... well.. make a dialog menu for each player to upgrade the items at lvl up and then just replace them with better items

Bloodlust,

But what im trying to do is when they buy an item it give them the ability. I dont think it would be that hard and giving the hero all the abilitys jsut disabled seems like alot of work for something I believe can be done easyer. If anyone can figure a way to make it so when a hero buys an item from a shop "Archmage Market" (only has archmage skills) that it gives the users hero that ability.

Note: Please post trigger that would do this, im not that advanced yet :)

This is what I tryed useing:
________________________________________________
Blizzard
Events
Unit - A unit Uses an item
Conditions
(Blizzard is A powerup) Equal to True
Actions
Hero - Learn skill for (Triggering unit): Human Archmage - Blizzard
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but for some reason that wont work...I got the item set up as a powerup so when the user clicks on it it should give them the ability right? wrong :) cuse it doesnt work! HELP!!!!

I don't think you can just add abilities on the fly.
You may need to create all of your heros with all of the various ability configurations and when an item is used or acquired you save the level of the current hero, swap in the hero with the ability config you need and level him to the current level. You might want to put the item(s) somewhere and then give them to the new hero.

btw: I think that "Hero - Learn skill for (Triggering unit): Human Archmage - Blizzard" is the same as training a skill that you already have. When you level and get a point to spend you "Learn" an ability to make it usable from being learnable. You don't "Learn" spells that you don't already have.

Actually, just look at my new hero arena idea thread and it will tell you all you need to know.