Should the animations be exported at a normal scale, and the model in a T-pose at an increased scale?
Yeah, that's the idea. This is how I solve this problem, so I export my models in a T-pose with a scale of 200-300% just in case. You can check it out on these Titans.
But in the case of your models, there might be some issues. I don't know for sure what you're working with and what hidden problems might arise. Heroes 5 and all these old plugins sometimes like to create some incomprehensible technical mess out of nowhere. So, in any case, I wish you good luck!)