D&D 5E Midgard spell - Machine's Load question

[Nebulous]

Here it is:

MACHINE'S LOAD​

1 transmutation (clockwork)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: V S M (a 1-lb weight)
• Duration: Up to 1 minute
• Classes: Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
• You touch a creature and give it the capacity to carry, lift, push, or drag weight as if it were one size category larger. If you're using the encumbrance rules, the target is not subject to penalties for weight. Furthermore, the subject can carry loads that would normally be unwieldy.
• At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot higher than 1st, you can touch one additional creature for each spell level.

The player doesn't like it is a 1 minute concentration spell. Wants it to be 10 minutes or an hour. It's a very niche spell, probably won't get used much, I don't think bumping the duration to 10 minutes will break anyway, but comparing it to the 2nd level Enlarge spell which is also 1 minute and concentration and has combat utility, the 1st level Machine's Load seems reasonable. I was NOT going to let the player give it an hour duration, that seemed too abusable somehow. And if the Wizard casts Enlarge first, you still have a Huge giant strength character for 1 minute. Thoughts?

 

[Zardnaar]

Here it is:

MACHINE'S LOAD​

1 transmutation (clockwork)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Components: V S M (a 1-lb weight)
• Duration: Up to 1 minute
• Classes: Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
• You touch a creature and give it the capacity to carry, lift, push, or drag weight as if it were one size category larger. If you're using the encumbrance rules, the target is not subject to penalties for weight. Furthermore, the subject can carry loads that would normally be unwieldy.
• At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot higher than 1st, you can touch one additional creature for each spell level.

The player doesn't like it is a 1 minute concentration spell. Wants it to be 10 minutes or an hour. It's a very niche spell, probably won't get used much, I don't think bumping the duration to 10 minutes will break anyway, but comparing it to the 2nd level Enlarge spell which is also 1 minute and concentration and has combat utility, the 1st level Machine's Load seems reasonable. I was NOT going to let the player give it an hour duration, that seemed too abusable somehow. And if the Wizard casts Enlarge first, you still have a Huge giant strength character for 1 minute. Thoughts?

Seems to be a poor man's Tensers Floating disk in terms of what you want to do with it.

It's very situational.

 

[MarkB]

It looks great if you're in the furniture-delivery business. For adventurers, the number of situations in which this would be particularly useful seems vanishingly small.

 

[Nebulous]

It looks great if you're in the furniture-delivery business. For adventurers, the number of situations in which this would be particularly useful seems vanishingly small.

I know. The more I think about it, maybe I should tell him to take a spell more useful. But, as a paladin, he wanted a utility spell and this is one unique to the setting he couldn't get unless he was in the current city they're in.

 

[MarkB]

I know. The more I think about it, maybe I should tell him to take a spell more useful. But, as a paladin, he wanted a utility spell and this is one unique to the setting he couldn't get unless he was in the current city they're in.

Paladin? Ouch. At least for a wizard it'd be okay to tuck away in a back pocket for those one or two occasions. Oh well, he can still just burn his spell slots on smites.

 

[Nebulous]

The actual "Gear" school of magic in Midgard is rather cool. His PC saw the clockwork guards and surmised that his paladin was enamored by their magic and somehow learned a little spell. That's great, and it gives the paladin some utility not normally available. But it's such a niche thing I guess it will rarely come up.

 

[humble minion]

I'd have no problems bumping that up to be honest, it looks like the niche-ist of niche spells even with a 10 min duration.

From what I've seen, the spells and subclasses in the Midgard material tend towards the underpowered side. There's a lot of them that could use a boost, and the gamebreaking capacity of this particular spell seems approximately nil, so I'd say go for it without any hesitation.

 

[Nebulous]

I'd have no problems bumping that up to be honest, it looks like the niche-ist of niche spells even with a 10 min duration.

From what I've seen, the spells and subclasses in the Midgard material tend towards the underpowered side. There's a lot of them that could use a boost, and the gamebreaking capacity of this particular spell seems approximately nil, so I'd say go for it without any hesitation.

I myself would be wary of making it an hour, and then PCs burning Enlarge on it, and all of a sudden you have a combo that a DM isn't prepared for, a massive amount of Strength magic at low level with nebulous constraints.

 

[humble minion]

Enlarge still only has a one minute duration, and you're tying up two concentration slots to get it done, and Machine's Load has no combat utility above what Enlarge already does. At low level, that's a not-insignificant amount of a party's daily spell power.

It'd be a great combo in certain circumstances, like when you need to lift/shift heavy objects, but to be honest I'm ok with that. It's a niche enough scenario that I don't mind PCs being able to use a couple of spells and be satisfied about their cleverness.

I'd be tempted to let Machine's Load bypass the Str requirements of heavy armour though.

 

[Nebulous]

Enlarge still only has a one minute duration, and you're tying up two concentration slots to get it done, and Machine's Load has no combat utility above what Enlarge already does. At low level, that's a not-insignificant amount of a party's daily spell power.

It'd be a great combo in certain circumstances, like when you need to lift/shift heavy objects, but to be honest I'm ok with that. It's a niche enough scenario that I don't mind PCs being able to use a couple of spells and be satisfied about their cleverness.

I'd be tempted to let Machine's Load bypass the Str requirements of heavy armour though.

Thanks. Hence why I sought the opinion of other gamers for their input.