If it's a straight road, run twice. Fighter takes attack of opportunity then runs twice. From here on forward, the fighter will be penalized on his attack roll (for running) but you're penalized on your defenses (from running) so...
Run through terrain that requires athletics checks, and hope the fighter fails. Jump in river and hope fighter sinks.
If you keep running along a straight road, eventually the fighter will murderize you.
__________________ Until recently Wakboth
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Also note that the bandit is probably not wearing heavy armor so will have a speed advantage in fleeing a fighter or paladin, though not necessarily his allies.
That's the first thing I thought of. A bandit who wears heavy armor is already assuming he's not going to have to run away, and therefore pretty much deserves to be caught. A fighter who's wearing light armor to gain back that extra mobility (or I guess is just playing an elf or gnoll who's at speed 6 in heavy armor) deserves to reap the benefits of that choice.
If you're up close in melee and you don't have any great tricks like racing through difficult terrain that you're going to handle better than your pursuers can, it's probably better to surrender than to run for it. Without a mobility edge you're kind of borked.
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Ethan Skemp
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Bandit has initiative. If this isn't true, Bandit Delays until it is.
Bandit Readies an Action (Bull Rush) against the paladin when he attacks. Paladin attacks. Bandit Bull Rushes him /snip
You may be onto something here. Are you required to shift as part of the Bull Rush? Because if no shift is mandatory, then you just push the attacker away one square and then you can run without getting a OA. The pursuer will never catch up, either (unless they're faster, of course).
So, the consensus is there's no real rules for it but it should be changed over to an Athletics test. I don't have a problem with that. Actually, i see it's quite a good solution, as it causes skills to be used in a combat, which is never a bad thing. However, the players might get pissy if they ever decide they have to run away from in combat.
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If you want something other than 'skill challenge', and want mechanics...
Run Faster: Standard action
Make an Athletics check, and move your speed plus 1 for every 10 points in your Athletics check (or fraction thereof). You are considered to be running; you grant combat advantage to all opponents, and take a -5 penalty to all attacks until the end of your next turn.
This is an alternative to the run action. At low levels, you move 1-3 squares faster than your speed; for someone without good modifiers, taking the run action is generally a better idea.
An epic level character with 30 strength, trained, focus, +6 item, +2 background and +2 race has a +43 modifier, and can run 4-7 squares faster than normal speed using the above action.
An epic level character with 10 strength and no training will run 2-4 squares faster; in order to make the run action balanced against this, make it +3 at paragon and +4 at epic for free.
The above will let you run a chase sequence using simulation like rules. You could also make it a move action if you want to encourage its use more (as written, it is only really useful when going all-out).
You may be onto something here. Are you required to shift as part of the Bull Rush? Because if no shift is mandatory, then you just push the attacker away one square and then you can run without getting a OA. The pursuer will never catch up, either (unless they're faster, of course).
Pushing the target 1 square then running 8 leaves you 9 squares away and the Defender can then move 3 then charge you which is just as bad as provoking the OA in most cases if not worse.
If you did the push as an immediate reaction to the last thing you think they'll do, say "shift" (which is a gamble, but let's assume it works) then you get to push them 1. If your DM doesn't force you to slide 1 into the square, you're now 1 square away. Then your initiative resets to before the paladins and you get 2 move actions to run twice.
It works a lot better if you can prone instead of push 1 though. Technically if you push someone into hindering terrain they get a save to avoid it and fall prone instead, so I guess you could try to look for something to push the paladin over.
I'd have smart bandits that would frequent a specific area and be very familiar with the surrounding terrain knowing all of the pitfalls, hindrances and what not.
Having a pit for just such an escape isn't out of the question. The 2x2 pit would have difficult terrain on either side of it but would have a log going across it (DC 15 athletics or acrobatics check to get across).
If the bandit survives the OA sprint to the pit and get on the other side using the log. Wait and do a total defense for the +2. As long as the fighter ends up in a square next to the ditch have the bandit execute a bull rush shifting the fighter into the ditch.
The fighter may get another OA but if the bandit survives the fighter will have to make a Str vs. Fort save to avoid either falling into the pit or ending up prone on the edge allowing the bandit to escape.
Hindering Terrain: Forced movement can force targets into hindering terrain. Targets forced into hindering terrain receive a saving throw immediately before entering the unsafe square they are forced into. Success leaves the target prone at the edge of the square before entering the unsafe square.
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