Does an item held with telekinesis count as being carried for the purposes of a spell?

Question

For example, a wizard is using telekinesis to move an obstacle out of the way, could someone else cast enlarge on the object to make it too heavy to lift?

Answer 1

You carry something with your strength

The definition of carrying capacity in the game (page 176 PHB) indicates that you carry something with your own strength:

Carrying Capacity. Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 15. This is the weight (in pounds) that you can carry

If you have some other way to lift something, it does not count against the weight you carry, ergo you are not carrying it.

There is this accepted answer, which claims you carry "anything on your character sheet that you have not explictly dropped", and equipment on your character sheet is also carried with your stength (unless it is in a bag of holding or similar item, which also would make it ambiguous).

So I think carried in the sense of the rules would not include supporting the weight of something with exernal, magical means like telekinesis, mage hand or floating disk.

This would mean you could target items held by a spell with other spells that can not target worn and carried items, and if by doing so using enlarge increasing their weight beyond the limit of the supporting spell, make them drop.

If the DM does not like this, because the idea behind not being able to target something that is worn or carried is likely to protect the characters' (or evil NPCs') critical equipment from being altered or snatched away, and in this case the character is exercising control over the thing they manipulate, just as they do over their equipment, the DM can easily rule that you are still moving something from one place to another, and therefore carry it in the wider sense of the word.

Answer 2

No.

The Telekinesis Spell description states, in part:

When you cast the spell, and as your action each round for the duration, you can exert your will on one creature or object that you can see within range, causing the appropriate effect below.

You're causing an effect to an object (or creature), it's never in your possession.