can multiple lightning bolts melt iron

[techpriest35]

so i was looking at the lightning bolt spell and it said it melts certain metals with the highest temp being copper at 1,984.32 F.
https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/lightningBolt.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melting_points_of_the_elements_(data_page)
non magical iron melts at 2800 degrees F
so i was wondering if you cast 2-6 lightning bolt spells targeting a person in full plate made of iron would it eventually melt from the heat or would it just get hot like heat metal spell,
https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/heatMetal.htm , or would it not do any thing extra cause the spell description of lightning bolt does not say it melts iron.
i know this is mostly a decision based on the dm/gm and how realistic the campaign is but i wanted your opinions. or am i just using too much real world physics for a high fantasy magic world

[Zancloufer]

Sundering items HELD by people outside of the sunder action gets a little iffy but it's theoretically possible. Problem is that Lightning Bolt does 10d6 lightning damage (Average 30) but even the weakest full-plate has hardness 10 and 45 HP. Combine that with the 50% damage penalty that lightning does vs objects and the armour being "Attended" thus allowed a saving throw for half damage (using wielder's Ref Save) and your damage drops to almost noting.

So yes in theory you could eventually go through mundane full plate with lightning bolts but it's going to take about 9 on average, if 100% of saving throws fail. Also worth noting it caps at 5 damage with a successful save and if that ****s adamatine, been hardened and/or +5 it's straight up immune without meta-magic.

[Doctor Despair]

Problem is that Lightning Bolt does 10d6 lightning damage (Average 30)

A d6 does 3.5 damage on average, actually, so average would be 35.

[RNightstalker]

so i was looking at the lightning bolt spell and it said it melts certain metals with the highest temp being copper at 1,984.32 F.
https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/lightningBolt.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melting_points_of_the_elements_(data_page)
non magical iron melts at 2800 degrees F
so i was wondering if you cast 2-6 lightning bolt spells targeting a person in full plate made of iron would it eventually melt from the heat or would it just get hot like heat metal spell,
https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/heatMetal.htm , or would it not do any thing extra cause the spell description of lightning bolt does not say it melts iron.
i know this is mostly a decision based on the dm/gm and how realistic the campaign is but i wanted your opinions. or am i just using too much real world physics for a high fantasy magic world

I would go with too much real world physics. I mean yes lightning that's big enough will melt iron...that's sure what arc welding looks like. But as a (reliable) in game mechanic? Probably not.

[SirNibbles]

Sundering items HELD by people outside of the sunder action gets a little iffy but it's theoretically possible. Problem is that Lightning Bolt does 10d6 lightning damage (Average 30) but even the weakest full-plate has hardness 10 and 45 HP. Combine that with the 50% damage penalty that lightning does vs objects and the armour being "Attended" thus allowed a saving throw for half damage (using wielder's Ref Save) and your damage drops to almost noting.

So yes in theory you could eventually go through mundane full plate with lightning bolts but it's going to take about 9 on average, if 100% of saving throws fail. Also worth noting it caps at 5 damage with a successful save and if that ****s adamatine, been hardened and/or +5 it's straight up immune without meta-magic.

"The lightning bolt sets fire to combustibles and damages objects in its path."

If I'm reading correctly, it should be damaging everything a creature has on them whenever they are in the area of the lightning bolt, as well as damaging the creature. Intended? Who knows.

[Fizban]

Worn/carried items are unaffected by area spells unless the bearer rolls a natural 1, in which case you consult the table for items surviving after a saving throw, as per the defining of basic spell rules: srd link (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#itemsSurvivingafteraSavingTh row).

The sunder action specifically says you can sunder a weapon, shield, or worn object, but cannot sunder armor. Worn armor can only be damaged by rolling a natural 1 on a saving throw vs an AoE spell, then having the armor randomly selected from the possible affected items (most likely a 1/4 chance unless the character is basically naked and unarmed except for the armor).

So no, a lightning bolt does not set every item a person is carrying on fire. And it's even less capable of damaging worn armor than the initial breaking object rules make it, only notable because area spells are the only way to damage worn armor at all (outside of specific monster abilities).

[SirNibbles]

Worn/carried items are unaffected by area spells unless the bearer rolls a natural 1, in which case you consult the table for items surviving after a saving throw, as per the defining of basic spell rules: srd link (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#itemsSurvivingafteraSavingTh row).

The sunder action specifically says you can sunder a weapon, shield, or worn object, but cannot sunder armor. Worn armor can only be damaged by rolling a natural 1 on a saving throw vs an AoE spell, then having the armor randomly selected from the possible affected items (most likely a 1/4 chance unless the character is basically naked and unarmed except for the armor).

So no, a lightning bolt does not set every item a person is carrying on fire. And it's even less capable of damaging worn armor than the initial breaking object rules make it, only notable because area spells are the only way to damage worn armor at all (outside of specific monster abilities).

"Unless the descriptive text for the spell specifies otherwise, all items carried or worn by a creature are assumed to survive a magical attack."

I would say that, in this case, the spell may say otherwise: it definitely says it damages objects in its path.

However, RAI is 99% likely to be what you said.

[Fizban]

It's definitely something that feels like it could have already had an FAQ entry, but searching both 3.0 and 3.5 for fire, burning, and lightning finds nothing. But then, considering all sorts of published content in which fireballs and/or lightning bolts are used without setting people on fire, I think that suffices for counter-evidence.