Situation: Runner mage, locked in an old jail. The bars have been replaced with Plasteel, but that is the only recent upgrade. Mage calls up his force three fire elemental that has been on call one night to melt the bars. Easy enough. So here is my question: What mechanics would you use to simulate this? Does the elemental engulf it, and then just apply spell effects to the barrier? Would it use it's flamethrower repeatedly till they get hot enought to melt? Can a force 3 elemental even generate enough heat to melt Plasteel bars? If we use pure barrier ratings, it would almost take a greater form to melt them. Does anyone have an opinon, or suggestion on this?

I would treat the attempt to 'melt through' the bars as an attack against them. The Fire Elemental has an attack of 1M; it will take a mighty blow indeed for him to even cause minor damage to the bars. (IMO, you would use the OR of the bars, not the barrier rating). I don't think your force 3 will even scratch the bars. If you were encased in something natural, or a cave carved out of a mountain, you'd have a case. But with plasteel and concrete, I would make you get either a much stronger friend, or some good old fashioned plastic explosives.

Edit: Yes, the Fire Elemental will get both a +2 power bonus for flame aura and an 'extra damage' every time it connects of 3M from the aura. Alternately, it could engulf for 4M damage each turn. It could use Flamethrower, but a Force 3 Flamethrower spell won't really scratch the survace of those bars, which have an OR of 8.

What you're looking for are the Barrier rules, on pg 124-5 of the BBB. Since prison bars would count at least as Heavy Structural material, there's no way a Force 3 fire elemental could damage it. If it were normal material, then it'd have a chance.

Well, I agree with what's been said about your Force 3 fire elemental not being able to do much to plastisteel bars. However, if you ever actually need to get out of a jail like this one, just have your elemental grab the keys once an incompetent guard leaves them lying about.

or burn whatever is holding the bars perhaps.

Or burn whoever is holding the keys.

Or burn the keys.

Hmmmm…

~J