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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mark" data-source="post: 1209637" data-attributes="member: 5">It doesn't seem to be a question of levels at all.  More of a matter of a DM not just detailing the situation, but also trying to tell players how to play their characters by telling them how they would react and feel.This is not an uncommon DMing mistake.  It's also a mistake sometimes made in professional adventure design.  If a DM's experience with written modules includes adventures that do this, it can seem acceptable to a DM, though rarely with players.  Further, if the DM's experience with the game has come from playing under other DMs who do this, for whatever reasons, it can become a habit with them as well.Some key things to examine (in other DMs or introspectively as a DM) to determine if a DM has picked up this habit is in how a DM describes even the simplest of things.  Does an opening door "creak ominously" or does it "creak while all else is silent"?  Is an NPC "dark and stand-offish" or does he "make you feel awkward and fearful"?  Does a creature "charge while you are in a dead end hallway" or does the creature "make you feel cornered"?  While it can boil down to semantics in a lot of cases, it truly is a matter of denying a player's self-detemination in regard to their character.I'd start from there when you open up the communication lines, which I entirely agree is necessary.</blockquote>