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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nagol" data-source="post: 7923988" data-attributes="member: 23935">I agree the DM is being a Richard.  But one can be a Richard without using force.  I see force as a table technique.  If we extend the hypothetical back a bit and make the dog's appearance part of a pre-written adventure with the designer assigning the hostile attitude to the dog then the DM was just portraying it as provided and I wouldn't see it as force.  Dumb, probably.  Possibly worth an application of force (by having the dog act more believably than the designer mandated) to correct an unnoticed flaw in the adventure design that should have been caught on an initial scan.  A designer can't force though a designer can ask force be used to achieve a specific result.For example, I don't think an adventure having an army march towards the adventurers is force.  That's just part of the scenario parameters.  I think having instructions to counter and nullify any attempt other than rush to the target city to avoid the army as calling for the use of force at the table.There is a published VtM scenario that has always stuck with me that illustrates this well, I think.  The PC vampires are to be ambushed by a powerful rival at a entertainment venue.  The GM is supposed to arrange the opponent manages to grapple a PC near a column that coincidently has a piece of wood sticking out of it.  The designer's goal is the PC will extract the wood and use it to injure/fend off their grappler.  The reason is the wood is the remnants of a stake that forced an ancient vampire buried in the column into dormancy and its removal will start the actual adventure. The adventure designer is calling for absolutely HUGE amounts of force to be used.  The GM needs to negate any other (much more tactically sound) combat options: guns, claws, retreat, what-have-you.  Simultaneously he needs to choreograph the fight positions and arrange the grapple to occur at one particular place on the map.  AND he needs to fudge all the combat rolls to ensure the combat continues until the grapple can happen, the grapple succeeds but not too well, and the player succeeds in using the wood as a weapon.He also needs to make sure the player sees the wood as an opportunity worth pursuing as opposed to a trap choice.  This final one isn't force.  It is social engineering which is another technique I strongly dislike GMs using.As to your tangent: I agree.  It was one of the let-downs I felt when I first reviewed 5e.</blockquote>

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