[MENTION=6786202]DaveDash[/MENTION] Comparing emdw45's style of play to "cops and robbers" is way off-base and insulting to many of us... accuse the person of DM fiat if you like, but there is no back and forth as you imply. D&D 5e clearly gives the DM the the authority to adjudicate what seems most reasonable at their own table. If that doesn't work for you, that's fine; we've already figured out that the two of you have very different play styles. That's why there exists more than one table --- so we don't all have to sit at the same one. You can interpret the rules as you like, I can interpret the rules as I like, and as always, the DM decides --- as has been the case in every edition of D&D, explicitly or implicitly. I get that some people have crappy DMs and so this doesn't work for everyone. We can't all be so fortunate to have a reasonable DM running our table, and we don't have to agree with every decision a DM makes even when we think they're great DMs. But 5e has been very much about empowering the DM to make it their game, and explicitly so, with the understanding that the DMs goal and responsibility is to try to ensure that everyone has a good time. Hard-and-fast cannot-be-broken rules as you describe them are for board games. The DM is far more than a simple referee whose job it is to interpret rules and ensure they're followed. Rules for roleplaying games are simply a framework for building an enjoyable experience. That's how it is at my table, anyway... and cops and robbers it is not.