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<blockquote data-quote="Ridley's Cohort" data-source="post: 3073791" data-attributes="member: 545">There are tons of means that might dissuade someone from chasing after you.&nbsp; But anything short of hoarding the right kind and right amount of magics in your back pocket for this rainy day can easily fail.&nbsp; It is not really a given that every party member has a Potion of Fly or the Wizard has a Wand of Dimension Door at 12th or 15th level caster so he can evac the entire party in most campaigns.We are, after all, talking about an encounter that is too tough for you as the primary scenario, and is probably more mobile than you and knows the lay of the land to boot.&nbsp;&nbsp; If the DM decides that the enemy smells weakness and is determined, anything short of a Teleport can easily fail as more than a temporary measure.I am not saying that PCs should not try or can never retreat.&nbsp; I think that many players undervalue defensive tactics, and my PCs tend to keep a Potion of Fly and a Potion of Invisibility precisely because I want to keep my options open.But the RAW in all editions tends to stack the game against retreating.&nbsp; Unless the DM coaches the players along and fudges the rules, do not be surprised if the players seem to believe that retreating is impractical.&nbsp; Yes, that is a dangerous and foolish habit.&nbsp; I would daresay that some DMs inadvertently train their players into never bothering to retreat.&nbsp; &quot;Gee, if those wolves fight to the last hit point when they could have retreated in this campaign, why should these minotaurs not hunt us all down and slaughter now that they have reason to believe that we are weak?&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ridley's Cohort, post: 3073791, member: 545"] There are tons of means that [i]might[/i] dissuade someone from chasing after you. But anything short of hoarding the right kind and right amount of magics in your back pocket for this rainy day can easily fail. It is not really a given that every party member has a Potion of Fly or the Wizard has a Wand of Dimension Door at 12th or 15th level caster so he can evac the entire party in most campaigns. We are, after all, talking about an encounter that is too tough for you as the primary scenario, and is probably more mobile than you and knows the lay of the land to boot. If the DM decides that the enemy smells weakness and is determined, anything short of a Teleport can easily fail as more than a temporary measure. I am not saying that PCs should not try or can never retreat. I think that many players undervalue defensive tactics, and my PCs tend to keep a Potion of Fly and a Potion of Invisibility precisely because I want to keep my options open. But the RAW in all editions tends to stack the game against retreating. Unless the DM coaches the players along and fudges the rules, do not be surprised if the players seem to believe that retreating is impractical. Yes, that is a dangerous and foolish habit. I would daresay that some DMs inadvertently train their players into never bothering to retreat. "Gee, if those wolves fight to the last hit point when they could have retreated in this campaign, why should these minotaurs not hunt us all down and slaughter now that they have reason to believe that we are weak?" [/QUOTE]

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