Alright, we are going to relay heavily on abilities now. Why? Because the manga does not give a lot of info on specific abilities of each clan and there are a lot of what if's. They can ALSO save you a lot of pain and trouble by simply creating abilities. Not to mention abilities are customizable and are YOURS. No one can copy you... well they can, but they would get in trouble Ha. So enjoy the new rules.
First thing you have to understand about abilities is that there is always a base. A base clan or base element. For those who choose to be clanless OR have a clan that does not feature an ADVANCE element such as ice or smoke, then you can simply use ONE of your regular elements.
For those of you who don't know. Uchiha have fire, that does not mean fire is an advance element.
Next thing I would like to point out is the main focus of a clan. Some clans are not focused on advanced elements. Clans like Uchiha, and Hyuuga all focus on a physical attribute. This Attribute can also be customized in the same way an advanced element clan. So if you are an uchiha, relax. You will still get an ability too. It will just focus around the sharingan.
All you have to do is fill out the template. REMEMBER, just because you in an ice release clan, does not mean you can go around and freeze everything in sight. You have to have the ability for it first. Before you even go buy the jutsu.
However, you will be happy about this. Abilities are not like jutsu and are more innate to your body. Thus they are free AND they do not drain as much chakra as a normal jutsu would. Not to mention abilities ARE NOT ranked, so that would also free up your need AND your points for jutsu.