Quote Originally Posted by mephnick View Post
Obviously it depends on the scenario and DM. It depends on a fair DM, but also on a descriptive DM. As a player I knew before I did it that if I "set the thing on fire" the NPCs would immediately rush to save it because the DM had outlined this group very well and I knew their motivations. That's the important part. It shouldn't be up to the whim of the DM, it should be an informed decision on the part of the player.

But yes, if you have a inconsistent, new, or adversarial DM a lot of stuff in the game isn't going to work like you think it will.
Wasn't me this time!