Encounter Critique

[Torq]

Part of the campaign I'm DMing will involve an arena battle as part of an interview to gain patronage from a local merchant and power broker. There are two PCs who will be mid level optimization. The NPCs in the arena are:

Orc Barb1/Ftr1: Power Attack, WF (Falchion) - No Whirling Frenzy, no Pounce
Human Ftr1/Sor2: Battle Sorcerer Variant, Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, Deft Opportunist; using reach weapon; Grease
Human Hexblade2: Power Attack, WF Greatsword; no variant
Strongheart Half Wiz3: Transmuter, Spell Focus (Ench), Metamagic School Focus (trans), Extend Spell; Enhance Attribute Variant

The Strongheart Halfling Wizard is the most optimized out of the bunch. The idea is for the two PCs to win, though they don't know each other so they have no reason to team up. I'm trying to arrange the battle so that they attacking each other is unlikely and ultimately, they'll want to team up as a matter of self-preservation.

The arena set up is a large hexagon and they all enter from a corner of the hex. The Wiz and the Barb will be adjacent and the Wiz recognizes that the Barb is the biggest strongest in the arena and so attempts to charm him after buffing INT for better DC. The PCs will be adjacent to the two least optimized (Hexblade and BattleSorc) and will hopefully take them out without a problem. Right around that time, the Barb should be approaching in a rage and looking very intimidating and buffed from the wizard - hopefully encouraging them to team up.

Obviously, this is how I hope things go, but I also don't want to railroad the encounter. Do y'all think that two 4th level mid-optimized PCs should be able to handle the encounter and does there look to be any potential railroading traps? Conversely, does it look like the encounter may go completely off the rails in a violent PC-massacring blood bath? If there's any more info about the NPCs that will help I can provide it. Unfortunately, I don't have the PC builds yet or I'd give those as well.

I normally don't have this much trouble, but it's important that they win to get the session started off right and it's been a little while since I DM'd.

[Diarmuid]

If you're looking for the PC's to team up, the most obvious way to encourage this is to have some of the NPC's do the same.

As for balance, the ECL calculator on the d20 site sees that as an EL 7, vs your party's EL of 2 and considers it overpowering. Take that for what it's worth.

[Torq]

If you're looking for the PC's to team up, the most obvious way to encourage this is to have some of the NPC's do the same.

As for balance, the ECL calculator on the d20 site sees that as an EL 7, vs your party's EL of 2 and considers it overpowering. Take that for what it's worth.

I was hoping that the Wizard and Barbarian appearing to team up would encourage the PCs to team up. That relies on them being able to survive or defeat the Hexblade and BattleSorc by the time the Barbarian and Wizard make their way across the arena.

I considered the party level vs. EL, but my thinking was that the PCs wouldn't be doing all the killing. The Wizard has a couple Boiling Blood prepared to potentially target the Hexblade or the BattleSorc after he's charmed the Barbarian.