I have recently joined a game and there were several instances where the dungeon master just shot down any idea that didn't fit her plot.
We were supposed to have this encounter in this forest with a bear and the druid cast animal friendship, but the game master just ruled that since we were in the bear's territory it was going to keep attacking us. But she ruled that Animal Handling was enough to distract the beast so that we could escape.
In another case we were suppose to find a doll for a girl and we found it with severe damage. I thought of casting mending, but she told me no, saying that the damage was too high. However, she allowed our local healer to use her medicine skill since it included sewing up torn parts.
There were other cases like this, and it is starting to get on my nerves as I play as a spellcaster. In most of the cases, she gives a rather reasonable excuse, like in the mending case the damage being too high, and in the animal friendship case the bear is not going to stop attacking something in its territory even if it believes they don't pose a threat.
The fact that she shoots down the ideas of me and the local druid is not the problem. Rather, my problem is whenever someone tries to accomplish what me and the druid tried to do via a skill check, she allows it to happen.
The setting is that we are a group of adventurers in a village that is mostly cut off from the world, solving problems for the village by doing quests posted at the local branch of the adventurers' guild.
How can I reason with my game master so that she allows me to be something more than a combatant with a fancy hat? I have not talked with my game master yet. I am not sure how to approach her about this issue without sounding accusative and angry.
Best Answer
There's no solution apart from talking to your DM.
Your DM apparently likes to solve things in a more mundane way and if this was accorded between the DM and the players it would be no problem at all. However, you said there are 2 spellcasters in your group and their magical solutions have been shot down with no apparent reason. You could argue that the spells were made exactly for that, solving problems quickly, usually a limited number of times per day (don't try saying "the rules" allow you, often pisses the DM and the DM is "the rules").
Ask why the DM didn't let both of you solve the problems with your spells that were proper for these situations and try to convince the DM that solving problems with spells is exactly what a spellcaster is made for. Nothing will be solved without you talking to your DM.