Is double damage (1.7 in Town Escape) from successful attacks not enough? Between +15% melee damage + tactics against +30% movement points and -50% penalty on rough terrain, I would choose the latter without hesitation. On a large map, an immobile hero is a dead hero by default, because the more mobile hero will choose the battle location.

All that Town Escape needs is strong Chaos skills, more mana, and favorable element chains. Attack is not needed for it; there are much more useful options to put in its place (if you're lucky, for example, leadership with empathy).