As has been mentioned, ideally you want them to have a reason to stick around. This hits two obstacles, firstly they are the party in the wrong, so they probably have no real desire to fight these guys and secondly their objective (run away) is not conducive to sticking around.
Remember, you only need to slow down one member of the party to take escape off the cards. Will the other two run off and leave the guy without movement powers? If they do, then the encounter works and they sacrificed a lot. If they don't then that still works.
I would give one of the NPCs an immobilise or slow. Wizard frost spell, Defender immobilise/prone strike etc. It seems perfectly reasonable and does not appear very heavy handed to me, especially if it is a single target ability.
Eladrin/Duergar Soldiers have a mark that does 5 damage to you every time you don't attack them. That really puts a dampner on running away.
It seems reasonable that some of the NPCs might have the odd movement power themselves.
Some options include:
1. The NPCs are going to execute one or more of their friends that they believe (rightly or wrongly) helped the betrayers.
2. Narrow down their options, they have to go in a certain direction or the skill challenge to escape becomes way too hard.
3. Something as simple as as a heavy locked gate can be enough of reason to fight. If they don't get through that grate and into the sewers/tunnels then the horde descending on them will catch up.
4. The NPCs have a way of scrying on them. If they don't take them out, it will be very hard indeed to get away. Longer term they will be hunted down.
5. The NPCs are mounted. Something as simple as giving the NPCs a much higher move rate could do the trick. Mount them on lizards/spiders that can climb and squeeze an the PCs are not getting away in a hurry.
6. Fire. There are relatively small corridors of safe ground in which they can move around collapsing buildings.
7. Crowds. All movement outside of the combat area is so full of people that it is difficult terrain.
8. Rubble. Without stonewalk they won't be able to shift over difficult terrain. Works very well if the NPCs are mounted on lizards/spiders/goats/birds etc.
9. I once ran a fight in the middle of a battle. The PCs are about the same level as yours and 99% of the combatants were level 1-2 minions. To reflect this, I just made the raging battle a terrain feature. Every square either costs 2 movement, or does you 2 damage. This is to reflect the fact you are taking care working your way through the battle. In my fight there was a ritual at the far end of a huge battlefield they needed to interrupt. They could get their quickly but get beaten up, or be slow, safe and late.
Remember, you only need to slow down one member of the party to take escape off the cards. Will the other two run off and leave the guy without movement powers? If they do, then the encounter works and they sacrificed a lot. If they don't then that still works.
I would give one of the NPCs an immobilise or slow. Wizard frost spell, Defender immobilise/prone strike etc. It seems perfectly reasonable and does not appear very heavy handed to me, especially if it is a single target ability.
Eladrin/Duergar Soldiers have a mark that does 5 damage to you every time you don't attack them. That really puts a dampner on running away.
It seems reasonable that some of the NPCs might have the odd movement power themselves.
Some options include:
1. The NPCs are going to execute one or more of their friends that they believe (rightly or wrongly) helped the betrayers.
2. Narrow down their options, they have to go in a certain direction or the skill challenge to escape becomes way too hard.
3. Something as simple as as a heavy locked gate can be enough of reason to fight. If they don't get through that grate and into the sewers/tunnels then the horde descending on them will catch up.
4. The NPCs have a way of scrying on them. If they don't take them out, it will be very hard indeed to get away. Longer term they will be hunted down.
5. The NPCs are mounted. Something as simple as giving the NPCs a much higher move rate could do the trick. Mount them on lizards/spiders that can climb and squeeze an the PCs are not getting away in a hurry.
6. Fire. There are relatively small corridors of safe ground in which they can move around collapsing buildings.
7. Crowds. All movement outside of the combat area is so full of people that it is difficult terrain.
8. Rubble. Without stonewalk they won't be able to shift over difficult terrain. Works very well if the NPCs are mounted on lizards/spiders/goats/birds etc.
9. I once ran a fight in the middle of a battle. The PCs are about the same level as yours and 99% of the combatants were level 1-2 minions. To reflect this, I just made the raging battle a terrain feature. Every square either costs 2 movement, or does you 2 damage. This is to reflect the fact you are taking care working your way through the battle. In my fight there was a ritual at the far end of a huge battlefield they needed to interrupt. They could get their quickly but get beaten up, or be slow, safe and late.
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