Trick as old as the game Wizardry.
It’s often better than making them fight their way back up.
Ah, the door of Skye-R’ym!
I understand the backdoor shortcut in Skyrim since it’s all open-world with no “levels” or cutscenes, but in a pen-and-paper game the DM can just “yada-yada” the multi-hour uneventful walk back to the entrance of the now-cleared dungeon.
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Good point – but still an argument against dungeon backdoor shortcuts, not for them!
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DM: OMG! A portal at the bottom of the dungeon leads directly back to the inn! How convenient!
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The last time I ran a dungeon, it was with old-school dungeon exploration rules: torches that only last an hour, rations, random encounters, and relatively slow movement.
On top of that, the party was being chased by a squad of angry zombie drow. They’d already burned a bunch of resources, and were fairly hurt, so it was a nail biter.
In my head, that goblin is speaking with Homestar Runner’s voice.
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