Doom wrote:But, for level appropriate, outside of those problematic monsters you've identified, can you give me a scenario that has a real chance of killing the whole party in a round, or at least 50% damage, before a player could use even a weakass 5 square teleport, or any other escape ability?
None of them; it's very easy to get gangbanged to death at low levels but it becomes increasingly harder.
The phenomenon I was talking about was when players realize that they're on the losing end of an encounter and need to escape. The thing is,
they can't. They can put off actually being killed for many rounds but without a deus ex machina they're eventually going to be killed.
Also, can you identify a class that, by level 11, has no way to escape from being surrounded on all sides, or at least recover 50% hit points in that one round before being killed?
Insta-kills pretty much stop happening at level 11. By then we're talking about the slow burn. For example a team of three Mezzodemons will take a really long time to kill a fighter; the fighter has about 100 hit points and they do 8.5 damage per attack. But you can't realistically get away from them if you're on the losing end of an encounter--even if we forget about things like their fukken restraining ability.
For example, starting at level 21.
Ghaele of Winter: Can easily put down an
encounter long daze you can't shake off as a minor action. Has a ranged attack that slows and also hovers at a speed of 8.
Verdict:
Not getting away.
Larva Mage: Elite monster. Has a minor-action power that recharges 1/3rd of the time that gives a saves-end immobilization.
Verdict:
Not getting away.
Giant Mummy: You can actually get away from this guy. He has no minor action attacks, no aura, no ranged attacks, no action-denial powers, and a speed of 6.
Verdict:
You can get away, even as an armored paladin.
Dark Naga: Elite monster Has a speed of 8. Has
a minor-action at will that save-ends dazes in a burst. What the fuck?! Has a basic attack that slows. Has a 5/6 recharge power that stuns.
Verdict:
Not getting away.
Deathpriest Hierophant: Has a speed of 5. So far so good. Has a 50% recharge power that dazes with a large bonus to-hit, being an elite monster that has an additional effective +2 to attack from its aura.
Verdict:
Could get away, with some difficulty.
Tormenting Ghost: 156 hit points and insubstantial. Not an elite monster. Yeah. Hovers six squares and phases. They have three blatant fuck-you powers.
ghostly possession: 5/6 recharge power that dominates as a save ends. The ghost reappears next to the sap if they save.
burst of terror: 5/6 recharge power that dazes and immoblizes in a burst.
ghostly terrain: At-will ranged 10 burst 1 that until the end of the encounter creates difficult terrain that immobilizes (save ends) anyone who enters it or starts their turn there.
Verdict:
Not getting away.
Wild Hunt Hound: Moves and flies at a speed of 10. Has an at-will that slows, remove teleportation, and then immobilizes as a save-ends.
Verdict:
Not getting away.
Yuan-Ti Anathema: Elite monster. Moves 8 squares. Can shift 8 squares and ignore difficult terrain. Can move its speed and knock people prone while it tramples people (this movement does provoke OAs, thank god).
Verdict:
Not getting away.
Fire Titan: Elite monster. Has a speed 8 and a reach of 3. If they're near lava can make a 5/6 attack that immobilizes.
Verdict:
Not getting away.
Marut Blademaster: Speed of 8. Can teleport and hover 4 squares. This is about the bare minimum of what you need to do to have monster lockdown, since they can just charge foes who spend their time running away and always get an attack. If they're facing an elf in light armor then they can just run and charge--which will net them a hefty attack penalty but makes the elf's death no less inevitable.
Verdict:
Not getting away.
That's 10 monsters, only two of which you have a reasonable chance of escaping from.
Now, some of these monsters are such jokes that there's no reason why you would actually be running from them. Marut Blademasters and Yuan-Ti Anathema are not a threat, period. A melee ranger with one allotted daily and all their encounter powers can fight two Giant Mummies by himself and expect to win.
But if you're on the losing end of this fight and need to flee, you fucking can't. This is very strong evidence that fights in 4E are universally the easiest they ever have been.