My Out of the Abyss party (whom I DM) did a good. They did a good and didn't die and I'm so proud of them but also...
DM fear is truly felt when you're looking at a caster with 3rd level spells, a caster with 5th level spells, two elite fighters, and four garbageboys versus a party of a third level champion fighter, a third level mercy monk, a third level phoenix sorcerer, a quaggoth, a mycenoid sprout, and then two NPCs that have been exported to a third level mastermind rogue and a third level hunter conclave ranger (for my health and sanity) and go "ah...they may be fucked...lemme just...figure out how to not kill them..."
The answer is simple: character motivations. Ilvara wants to capture them to take them to Menzoberazzan. She didn't want them dead. She may now, but she didn't then. So the goal wasn't "murder these fuckos" but "incapacitate these fuckos". So every spell was to stop them and yet...they got away.
Now heavy fear about everything else upcoming, but I'm very proud of them for an inventive use of Oil of Slipperiness and Fire Bolt — or: an 8hr fire wall made of magic and oil and glass. And for running. Like they needed to.
