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  Interlude: Dinner and a Show ©2004 The Game Mechanics, Inc. All rights reserved. 
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  Interlude: Dinner and a Show
  by JD Wiker
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  Interlude: Dinner and a Show
  The Game Mechanics, Inc.
  ligent”; Jack’s a consummate bigot). As far as Jack is 
  concerned, it’s time for “The Jack Show”: His friends 
  are his audience, and tonight’s guest victim is one of 
  the heroes.
  Developments
  Jack is looking for a fight, but he avoids throwing 
  the first punch. Like most bullies, Jack is a coward at 
  heart, and while he’d dearly love to pummel some-
  one senseless tonight, he knows that there are a lot 
  of witnesses around. The last thing he needs is to go 
  to jail for assault, and in his flawed logic, if he can 
  get his victim to swing first, it’s self-defense.
  So Jack tries to goad the hero into a�acking, by be-
  ing as insulting as possible, and he even gets a li�le 
  physical, pushing and shoving the hero, or knocking 
  drinks or food onto the hero. (This is Jack’s way of 
  using his Intimidate skill.) If the hero doesn’t rise to 
  the occasion, Jack is content to chase him or her out 
  of the restaurant, with a final wi�icism like “—and 
  don’t let me see you around here again!”
  Of course, all bets are off if one of the heroes 
  makes Jack look bad, such as successfully intimidat-
  ing him, or perhaps just making a joke at Jack’s ex-
  pense. At that point, Jack’s pride won’t let him walk 
  away without teaching his opponent a lesson—even 
  if it means that Jack ends up taking a beating.
  Jack’s Friends: Treat Jacks’ two friends, Roy and 
  Earl, as thugs (see Chapter 8: Friends and Foes, of 
  the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game); use low-level 
  thugs for heroes whose average level is no greater 
  than 6th, and mid-level thugs for heroes of 7th 
  level or higher. However, these thugs are really 
  li�le more than Jack’s audience. They back him 
  up when he confronts the heroes and encourage 
  him not to back down, but if a fight starts, they 
  don’t get involved unless they’re directly a�acked 
  (though see below). When it’s clear that Jack is out 
  of his league (physically or otherwise), they clear 
  out; they don’t really like Jack all that much, but 
  they’ve learned from hard experience to make a 
  good show of supporting him.
  Roy and Earl might jump in if Jack’s a�acks aren’t 
  connecting (for example, if Jack has chosen a Fast 
  hero to pick on). In that situation, they make an at-
  tempt to grapple the opponent and hold him while 
  Jack does the hi�ing. (They won’t use this strategy 
  on a woman, though; that’s where they draw the 
  line.) Unlike Jack, though, Roy and Earl aren’t here 
  for a fight; they’re just acting as moral support for 
  Jack, and if it looks like things are going badly for 
  him, they actually advise him to cut his losses.
  Restaurant Staff: The cooks, waitresses, and bus-
  boys have seen all this before, and they know that 
  the smart thing is for them to just let Jack take out 
  A Modern Interlude
  Interludes are short encounters, designed for modern 
  d20 System games, in which the heroes find them-
  selves in a situation all too common in everyday life: 
  speeding tickets, rude waiters, long waits in the hos-
  pital emergency room, chance encounters at airport 
  terminals, and so on. These brief encounters can 
  be dropped into an evening’s adventure to give the 
  heroes a li�le “slice of real life” diversion from the 
  main excitement—and maybe just a chance to shine, 
  in situations that, for a change, don’t involve enemy 
  agents, serial killers, alien conspiracies, or any of the 
  campaign’s grander themes.
  Interludes are opportunities for extraordinary 
  people—the heroes—to tackle life’s li�le problems in 
  their own extraordinary way.
  “Dinner and a Show” puts the heroes in an or-
  dinary restaurant, and interrupts their meal with a 
  loud and aggressive fellow patron who’s had a few 
  too many. Ideally, the hero should be at least 4th or 
  5th level. For combat-oriented characters, this en-
  counter is a chance to teach an arrogant jerk a much-
  needed lesson. Characters less devoted to combat, 
  on the other hand, might enjoy using diplomacy or 
  subterfuge to defuse a potentially ugly situation. 
  “Dinner and a Show” works equally well with male 
  or female heroes.
  The Setup
  Even heroes have to eat sometime, and this time, the 
  diner of choice is a nondescript restaurant in a rela-
  tively quiet part of town. The heroes have arrived at 
  a slow time, and by the time they’ve finished their 
  meal, the restaurant is less than half full. Most of 
  the other patrons are quietly enjoying their meals, 
  though there’s one rather loud individual who looks 
  over at the heroes’ table from time to time. As the 
  heroes are si�ing around waiting for the check, read 
  the following text aloud:
  As you’re waiting for the waitress to return, 
  you catch the eye of a patron a few tables 
  away—and he’s staring back at you. With a loud 
  curse, he suddenly stands up and strides over to 
  loom at your table, with a pair of equally beefy 
  friends in tow. “What are you looking at?” he 
  demands angrily. “Every time I look over here 
  you’re staring at me! You got a problem?”
  This individual is Jack Wi�, a hardheaded local 
  construction foreman who’s used to bullying people 
  with his size and bluster. He’s had a few drinks, 
  and has fixated on the hero who appears the most 
  unusual (and “unusual,” to Jack, can be anything 
  from “ethnic” to something as mundane as “intel-
  
  Interlude: Dinner and a Show
  The Game Mechanics, Inc.
  his frustrations, and hope that nobody gets hurt 
  too badly. They’ve seen what happens to people 
  who try to stop Jack, and what happens if they call 
  the police, so they’ve learned not to get involved. 
  At most, if it looks like Jack is going to pummel the 
  hero unconscious, the hero’s waitress tries to stop 
  the beating by pointing out that the hero hasn’t 
  paid yet.
  Weapons are a slightly diff erent ma� er. Once 
  someone pulls a weapon other than a fi rearm (see 
  sidebar), the staff  begin haranguing Jack (or the 
  hero) to “Take it outside!” They put up with Jack’s 
  bullying and the occasional bloody nose, but lethal 
  weapons are bad for business. Jack, surprisingly, 
  complies with such a request—he doesn’t want to 
  be refused service, a� er all—and invites the hero to 
  “Step out back and fi nish this.”
  Other Patrons: Most of the other people in the 
  restaurant are regulars, and they know Jack well 
  enough to realize that it’s a bad idea to get in his 
  way when he’s had a few. They won’t try to leave, 
  however, because if they do, and police show up 
  a� erward, Jack will assume they called the police 
  on him, and then they’ll have to suff er his wrath. 
  However, if shots are fi red, all of the patrons clear 
  out; Jack’s wrath notwithstanding, they’re not going 
  to hang around when lead starts fl ying.
  Police: Even if they’re called as soon as a fi ght 
  starts, the police don’t arrive for fi ve minutes. When 
  they do, it’s a pair of offi  cers (treat them as mid-level 
  police offi  cers, one male and one female, from Chap-
  ter 8: Friends and Foes, in the d20 Modern Roleplaying 
  Game), and unless shots have been fi red, they’re car-
  rying only their sidearms and tonfas; their shotguns 
  are in their patrol car.
  Resolution
  Depending on how the heroes react to Jack, several 
  diff erent things could happen.
  The Hero Leaves: If the hero chooses to leave, 
  Jack gets some validation of his lifestyle, but it’s at 
  no great cost to the hero. It might sting the hero’s 
  pride a bit, but that’s as far as it goes. If the hero ever 
  comes back, Jack probably won’t even recognize 
  him or her—though he may pull the same bully 
  act again. Note that the wait staff  won’t let the hero 
  leave without paying, and Jack won’t stop them 
  from paying the bill. He even insists that the hero 
  leave a big tip!
  Jack Leaves: If the hero intimidates Jack into 
  leaving, or outwits Jack with Bluff  or Diplomacy, 
  the staff  and some of the patrons are congratulatory, 
  though guarded. “That’s about the bravest thing I’ve 
  ever seen. Of course, when he sobers up, he might 
  come looking for you. I hope you can pull that trick 
  more than once.” Let the hero 
  make a Charisma check (DC 
  13) to have the staff  tear up 
  their check out of gratitude 
  for ge� ing rid of Jack without 
  damaging the restaurant.
  Jack Beats Up the Hero: It’s 
  ugly, but it’s a possibility. Jack 
  brutalizes the hero a bit, with 
  a few kicks and such, but he’s 
  not a sadist, so he gets bored 
  pre� y quickly and leaves the 
  restaurant. (He knows that the 
  staff  will call an ambulance, 
  maybe even the police, and he 
  wants to get out and establish 
  an alibi somewhere else as soon 
  as possible.)
  If the hero used a weapon 
  that looks like it might be valu-
  able (Purchase DC 10 or be� er), 
  Jack “confi scates” it before 
  leaving. Give Jack a chance also 
  at this time to spot any con-
  cealed weapons that the hero 
  might be carrying; again, if they’re valuable, Jack 
  takes them with him. A� er he leaves, the restaurant 
  staff  come forward to give the hero fi rst aid, and if 
  it looks like the hero’s in a really bad way, they call 
  an ambulance—though they claim that nobody saw 
  anything: “The guy came in looking like this.” If the 
  hero presses charges with the local police, give the 
  hero a Charisma check (DC 16) to have the waitress 
  admit what really happened.
  The Hero Beats Up Jack: If Jack loses, Roy and 
  Earl feel no particular compulsion to avenge him. 
  They’ll scrape him off  the fl oor and put him in his 
  truck (if the heroes let them), or they’ll run for it (if 
  the heroes make any move toward them). They’re 
  going to spend the next week with Jack taking out 
  his frustration over the fi ght on them, and they’re 
  wise enough to know that it’ll be easier to take 
  without the added burden of bruised fl esh and 
  broken bones.
  The restaurant staff  and the patrons, on the other 
  hand, openly applaud the hero if Jack went down 
  quickly and quietly. If the fi ght was pre� y close, 
  or involved a lot of property damage, they’re less 
  happy about it, but still congratulatory. “You’re 
  something else. Where’d you learn to fi ght like 
  that?” The hero can make a Charisma check (DC 
  13, +5 if property damage was involved) to have the 
  waitress tear up their check. But in any event, the 
  staff  says that they won’t call the police to report 
  the incident until the heroes have had time to clear 
  2
  What About Guns?
  If Jack’s opponent 
  produces a fi rearm, Jack 
  changes his tactics. He’s 
  got his .38, of course, 
  but he knows that he 
  can’t get it out of his boot 
  before his victim gets a 
  shot off. So Jack tries to 
  convince the hero to fi ght 
  him without the gun, using 
  such reasoned arguments 
  as “You’re real tough 
  when you’ve got a gun 
  in your hand” and “What 
  kind of wimp has to pull a 
  gun to defend himself?” 
  Of course, Jack has no 
  compunctions about so 
  disarming his opponent, 
  then pulling his own gun.
   
  Of course, as soon as 
  anyone draws a gun, the 
  restaurant staff calls the 
  police (from the safety of 
  the kitchen).
  
  Interlude: Dinner and a Show
  The Game Mechanics, Inc.
  out. Conversely, if the fi stfi ght turned into a fi refi ght, 
  the staff  and patrons fl ee the fi rst chance they get, 
  and aren’t the least bit grateful to the heroes.
  The Police Show Up: If the heroes are still there 
  when the police show up, the police are duty-bound 
  to arrest anyone who was involved in the fi ghting, 
  though the charge is really no more serious than 
  “disturbing the peace.” The real complication that 
  can develop here is if the police fi nd any weapons 
  on the hero. As explained in Chapter 4: Equipment, 
  in the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game, the police use 
  their Search checks to pat down the heroes, and if 
  the hero doesn’t have the proper licenses for what 
  he or she is carrying, they have to add on another 
  charge: “carrying a concealed weapon” or “carrying 
  a weapon without a permit.” With a successful Di-
  plomacy check (opposed by the arresting offi  cer’s), 
  the hero can get the offi  cers to merely confi scate the 
  off ending weapon, rather than press charges.
  If weapons were used in the fi ght, however, the 
  charge is “assault with a deadly weapon” (or “as-
  sault,” if the weapons involved did not deal lethal 
  damage, such as pepper spray or a sap). In this case, 
  there’s no chance of ge� ing the charges reduced. 
  And if there was a fatality involved, the charge is 
  “homicide”—and someone’s going to need a good 
  lawyer. If the hero killed someone, they can’t rely 
  on the good graces of the patrons or restaurant 
  staff . As much as they all disliked Jack Wi�  (and his 
  buddies), they didn’t want to see any of them dead, 
  and give the police a full account of what they saw, 
  including descriptions of the heroes involved.
  Jack Witt, Urban Cowboy
  Jack Wi�  is a foreman for a local construction com-
  pany, and he imagines himself to be a modern day 
  cowboy, “riding the range, kicking ass, and taking 
  names.” Most people dislike him, but he’s arrogant 
  enough that he either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. 
  At heart, though, he’s really a coward, and bullies 
  people to keep his confi dence up. Most of the time, 
  he’s just showing off  for his pals Roy and Earl.
  In a fi ght, Jack leads off  with unarmed a� acks, 
  which his Streetfi ghting feat makes particularly ef-
  fective. He only brings Power A� ack into play if he’s 
  certain he can hit his opponent (such as when Roy 
  and Earl are restraining his opponent). He keeps 
  a folding lockblade knife in a leather case on his 
  belt, and brings that out if his opponent produces a 
  weapon. Jack also keeps a .38 revolver in his boot, 
  but he resorts to that only in “emergencies,” such 
  as when he’s outnumbered, or his opponent has a 
  fi rearm as well.
  Jack Wi� : Human Strong Ordinary 4/Tough 
  Ordinary 2; CR 5; Medium-size human; HD 4d8+8 
  plus 2d10+4; hp 41; Mas 14; Init +1; Spd 30 � .; Def 
  16 (touch 16, fl at-footed 15); Base Atk +5; Grap 
  +8; Atk +10 melee (1d8+1d4+3, unarmed strike) 
  or +8 melee (1d4+3/19-20, knife) or +4 ranged 
  (2d6, Ruger Service-Six); Full Atk: Atk +10 melee 
  (1d8+1d4+3, unarmed) or +8 melee (1d4+3/19-
  20, knife) or +4 ranged (2d6, Ruger Service-Six); 
  Space/Reach 5 � ./5 � .; AL None; AP 0; Rep 0; SV 
  Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 16, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 
  8, Wis 10, Cha 13.
  Starting Occupation: Blue-collar (Class skills: 
  Drive, Intimidate, and Repair)
  Skills and Feats: Cra�  (structural) +3, Drive +3, 
  Intimidate +9, Profession +4, Repair +2; Brawl, 
  Improved Brawl, Power A� ack, Simple Weapon 
  Profi ciency, Streetfi ghting.
  Possessions: Knife, Ruger Service-Six (in boot), 
  6 rounds of ammunition, work boots, workman’s 
  jacket, $460 cash, various gear and personal pos-
  sessions.
  3
  
  Interlude: Dinner and a Show
  The Game Mechanics, Inc.
  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
  The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.
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  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
   
  Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based on material by 
  Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.
   
  Interlude: Dinner and a Show 2004. The Game Mechanics, Inc.; Author JD Wiker.
  Designation of Product Identity.  The following items are Product Identity: All images and logos (excluding the d20 System Logo). The Game Mechanics and The Game 
  Mechanics logo are trademarks of The Game Mechanics, Inc.
  Designation of Open Game Content. The following items are Open Game Content: All text on pages 1, 2, and 3.
  Appendix: Open Game License
  
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