So, uhhmm, can we all agree that this is one of the most 'powerful' spells in the game? Not avalanche in the mountains powerful, its just the ultimate panic escape. Everyone knows that word is THE most important spell to master.

Now for the point of stating the obvious.

Why not switch word and teleport for escapes? There is no good reason to let mages get off that easy if they want to escape combat. Make them teleport. Make them take a risk. Whats the worse that can happen? The spell should still work during combat...but it should be one of those concentration spells. APs should probably get a version of teleport that can not be cast during combat...just to be nice.