Question about Fire Warlock's Spell MElt Metal

[darthauthor]

Reviewing the spells of the Fire Warlock.

Had to wonder IF and WHEN the Fire Warlock's spell MELT METAL was most useful in or out of battle.

The Spell, Melt Metal, has a range of 15 feet +5 feet per level.
Lasts 4 round per level.
Damage: 1d6x10 MD, but only to metal, nothing else BUT NO Saving Throw

Melts up to 40 pounds of metal per each level of his experience. The metal immediately becomes too hot to hold or touch and will melt into slag within seconds. The Warlock does this by staring at the metal object to be melted.
Can be used twice per melee round.

SO HOW can one use it?
IF the Fire Warlock stares at a CS grunts energy rifle can he melt it? Vibro blade?
What about a skycycle or APC?

What about a SAMAS?

A Skel-bot?

A giant robot?

Does it do 1d6 x 10 per attack action or per round or TWICE per round like an invocation?

The only advantage I see is that the object of attack gets no saving throw. It could be especially damaging depending on the conditions. For example, how would it apply to a Cyber-Knight's armor or their personal organic under armor? Likewise, it could be devastating if it works on the bionics / cybernetics of a Manhunter or full converstion cyborg.

Rule of fair play is that if it would not be fair for a NPC or villain to do it to your player character then you can't do it to them.

My opinion, the CS grunt drops his rifle when it gets too HOT. Like superman his laser vision on it.
I'd give it to the player to MELT a Skel-bot.
A vehicle would take damage. Over the course of a round or so, the pilot and passengers should get a chance to jump ship when they notice its getting hot. Perhaps treating it like a dodge roll.

A cyborg, I'd say would be damaged the same as if they got hit with a 6th level Call Lightning spell which does 1d6 MD per level on everything. So a 7th level Fire Warlock, if they could cast it, would be 7d6 MD. Melt Metal does 1d6 times 10, 3d6 more than Call Lightning but it works on everything. So a cyborg would take full damage the same as if they were hit by Call Lightning but the Fire Warlock could only do it 2 a round and can be attacked by the cyborg who could disrupt the warlock's concentration.

Real limitation is the PPE cost and RANGE @ 7th level the warlock gets 50ft that's one-sixth the range of Call Lightning's 300 feet. Although no line of sight is mentioned in the spell. Duration allows for 4 rounds per level and it's a 7th level spell so the base is 28 rounds per casting.

Could easily be used to smelt metals IF one were in a hurry and did not have a furnace. So Immediate commerical uses.