Mel is an ineffective would-be mugger. He wants you to give him all of your bottlecaps. His clearly unassertive and stammering manner makes his demands pathetic. He tries to rob the players with a sawed-off shotgun, unbeknownst to the players to be empty.
Someone with the perk Awareness will be able to check out Mel's ammo count, which is zero. If the players mention the shotgun being empty, Mel will apologize and flee. The players can also bribe him with barter, threaten him, or use a logical skill-based challenge to try and get him to leave.
The only thing on Mel is his empty Sawed-Off Shotgun.
