D&D 5E Drawmij's Instant Summons: Am I Missing Something?

[Dausuul]

Like, a Heward's handy haversack! It's a bit of a back-end around that 10 lbs limitation.

Fails #3. If you're concerned with your encumbrance limit, why are you not already carrying the object whose whole purpose is to expand your encumbrance limit? Same goes for bags of holding and portable holes. Nobody leaves extradimensional storage space at home. That defeats the point of having extradimensional storage space.

Or maybe a Dragon Slayer longsword. Not always useful, but when it turns out that there's a dragon in the dungeon...

This one I can almost buy. Still skeptical that you have so many magic weapons no one has space for a dragon slayer, though.

A Helm of Comprehending Languages when you realize no one bothered to speak Dwarven and you want to know what the Duergar in the next room are saying about you.

Fails #2. You are so worried about this possible scenario that you're willing to invest 1,000 gp ahead of time in order to avert it? Instead of just, I don't know, putting comprehend languages in your spellbook? It's a 1st-level ritual. You don't even have to prepare it.

A Ring of Warmth when you find out that the goblins are riding winter wolves.

Fails #3 in truly spectacular fashion. It's a friggin' ring. If you can't find room in your pack for a ring, I don't know what the heck you're keeping in there.

50 ft. of hemp rope when you're 50 ft. down the tunnel and you still don't see the end of it.

You're an 11th-level wizard and you're laying down 1,000 gp in advance to provide yourself with extra rope just in case your party doesn't have enough? Instead of preparing one of levitate, fly, dimension door, or polymorph, each of which is a phenomenally useful spell that can easily justify a spot on your list?

That +1 Club that you don't usually use because you have an axe that does more damage until you come into a room with skeletons...

I repeat: 11th-level wizard. If your party requires a magic club to deal with skeletons, you fail wizarding forever.

It is niche, but it's MUCH better than an illusion. Plenty of critters can see through deceptions and illusions and lies and suchlike. If you literally don't have the item...but you do have a sapphire...you're in good shape!

Orc warchiefs can't see through illusions. You're changing the scenario here. Which is the point; the niche is so narrow you have to pile all kinds of qualifiers on top to justify it. You want to bring a weapon to the negotiation, and the person you're negotiating with can see through illusions, and they won't let you bring weapons, but they will let you bring a mysterious sapphire radiating magic (wizard shenanigans anybody?), and you have time to prepare for this whole thing and secure the weapon in a safe place...

And Leomund's Secret Chest has one HUGE drawback: the thing could disappear forever. Woof.

Only if you're phenomenally, stupendously, mind-bogglingly careless. As long as you summon it back and re-cast the spell every 60 days, you're fine.

 

[Gadget]

Oh, man, so much.

Like, a Heward's handy haversack! It's a bit of a back-end around that 10 lbs limitation.

Or maybe a Dragon Slayer longsword. Not always useful, but when it turns out that there's a dragon in the dungeon...

A Helm of Comprehending Languages when you realize no one bothered to speak Dwarven and you want to know what the Duergar in the next room are saying about you.

A Ring of Warmth when you find out that the goblins are riding winter wolves.

50 ft. of hemp rope when you're 50 ft. down the tunnel and you still don't see the end of it.

That +1 Club that you don't usually use because you have an axe that does more damage until you come into a room with skeletons...

It's situational, sure, but that situation isn't unheard of.

All these uses are pretty niche, and really are just not worth a very precious sixth level spell slot (yes, you could cast it as a ritual, but still). I suppose I wouldn't have as much of a problem with this spell and its many restrictions if it was a lower level spell. But sixth level? Maybe 3rd or fourth level with an expensive cost, but I really don't see this being sixth level. It seems many of the old spells just carried over from older editions with nary an adjustment to speak of. I mean, spells like DWIS usefulness may vary quite a bit depending on the campaign, but really. So far, the uses seem to be a substitute golf bag of magic weapons/implements (which assumes a lot, considering the lesser role magic items play in this edition), and 'get past the metal detectors' for intrigue laden campaigns, with a side helping of 'summon the Mcguffin when we get to Mt. Doom' scenario (which is really a sub plot of 'get past the metal detectors').

It's too bad, as It is a really a flavorful spell and requires some clever thinking to use effectively. I just don't think it is quite worth the cost and the spell level, given its purported benefits.

 

[I'm A Banana]

All these uses are pretty niche, and really are just not worth a very precious sixth level spell slot (yes, you could cast it as a ritual, but still). I suppose I wouldn't have as much of a problem with this spell and its many restrictions if it was a lower level spell. But sixth level? Maybe 3rd or fourth level with an expensive cost, but I really don't see this being sixth level. It seems many of the old spells just carried over from older editions with nary an adjustment to speak of. I mean, spells like DWIS usefulness may vary quite a bit depending on the campaign, but really. So far, the uses seem to be a substitute golf bag of magic weapons/implements (which assumes a lot, considering the lesser role magic items play in this edition), and 'get past the metal detectors' for intrigue laden campaigns, with a side helping of 'summon the Mcguffin when we get to Mt. Doom' scenario (which is really a sub plot of 'get past the metal detectors').

It's too bad, as It is a really a flavorful spell and requires some clever thinking to use effectively. I just don't think it is quite worth the cost and the spell level, given its purported benefits.

I buy all this. It's niches are very niche, and it might feel more comfortable at a lower level (though since it's major use is in summoning niche magic items, perhaps not too low). I think it could certainly be made better.

I just find that claims of its pointlessness to be somewhat over-stated. Like a LOT of claims of something's pointlessness in 5e.