How about this: the elf guides the party in how to keep watchful. Designates a visual search pattern. Or, they have an air of watchfulness that inspires others to be the same way. Or, they have a pseudo-magical aura. Maybe they produce a pheromone that affects the parts of the brain that processes perception in others nearby. Maybe it's an effect of an herb that elves smoke as part of a cultural ritual. The +1 is due to second-hand smoke.
Yeah, lots of fluffy reasons you could put on it. Personally, I like the idea of psychotropic elves over hippie elves, but whatever suits your fancy.
You know, i think this is a bad combination of trying to make all characters team players without making them use actions to do so, and trying to put logical limits on it.
Well, first off, that 'all in the warband' approach works in small scale encounters (as typically seen in minis), but not so well for larger scale activities. For instance, if the elf gets separated fro the group, the ability shouldn't apply.
Here's the big distinction: elf and non-elf go scouting down the hall. The non-elf scout gets the perception bonus. the rest of the party does not get the bonus, should something come sneaking up behind them.
Now, if you want to houserule it for simplicity's sake, go for it.
Ew, houserules on a system that hasn't been finished yet. Maybe we should avoid that for now... :smallyuk:
Yeah, I do agree with you there. Though, I would be leary about making it encounter-based, as perception is one thing that is definitively useful outside of an encounter.