Bonuses to allies

[BendBars/LiftGates]

So, we went through this when they released the elf PHB entry, and I'm seeing more, similar rules.

The elf gives a +1 to nearby allies' Perception rolls.
The half elf gives +1 to nearby allies' Diplomacy rolls.
I'm sure there are more examples.

What is the rationalization behind this? I like the concept. It makes sense. Elves point things out to their friends. "Maybe Legolas is rubbing off on me, but I could swear I never would have heard that goblin six months ago." Half elves give tips on smooth-talking the local aristocrats and having one standing next to you while you're parlaying with the king helps, too.

But there are two obvious abuses.
1. What if you have a better Perception roll than the elf? What is that representing now? You should be giving him pointers.
2. What's better than a half-elf diplomat? A squad of two dozen half-elf diplomats! The one in the center gets +1 to Diplomacy for every one of them within ten feet.


I wanna like the races, and I do for the most part, but to really like it I've gotta get over my hangup on these rules. How do you justify it?

 

[Falling Icicle]

I don't like these "aura" type bonuses at all. They are annoying and tedious to keep track of and will usually just be forgotten. And, as you pointed out, they are nonsensical to begin with. I'll most likely just be house-ruling them out in my games.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

For the elf, well I would view it as more "natural instinct" then simply better eyesight. It is less, the elf is better at spotting things and more he is able to react and point out something prior to being able to see it.

So that would mean a person with higher perception may be able to spot it sooner when it becomes more apparent but the initial instinctual reaction of the elf gives him a added advantage.

As for the Half-Elf, I am not sure if natural abilities stack like that... If they do well, you are in luck you have essentially a whole team of well trained diplomats behind you. If not, you can view it as they all have equal level of experience in the subject, so no one can add anything more.

*Shrugs shoulders* It could work for you, it could not.

 

[Kordeth]

But there are two obvious abuses.
1. What if you have a better Perception roll than the elf? What is that representing now? You should be giving him pointers.

You might be better at putting together what you notice, but the elf's senses are still sharper than yours (unless you're another elf, in which case you've already got a bigger bonus than the other elf gives), so he can still point out things you simply can't see or hear--which you can then recognize for what it is.

2. What's better than a half-elf diplomat? A squad of two dozen half-elf diplomats! The one in the center gets +1 to Diplomacy for every one of them within ten feet.

Really doubt this is an issue. Note that both Group Awareness and Group Diplomacy specify "a +1 racial bonus." Since bonus stacking rules were one of the most sensible things 3E introduced, I'd be frankly shocked if they didn't carry over and therefore the most you can get from any number of half-elves is +1. I'd further wager that the racial skill bonuses we saw in the elf write-up are also racial bonuses, and thus a sharp-eared elf won't grant his perceptive insight to his equally sharp-eared elven companions.