While in town for a vacation or some other engagement, the team hears of a mine cave-in that traps several local workers. Will the characters risk their lives for a bunch of nobodies, or will they ignore the plight of innocent workers for their own selfish needs? Perils inherent to this kind of rescue include falling rocks, burial alive or mounting hopelessness and fatigue as the miners' oxygen inexorably dwindles. Further complications can arise if the character investigate the cave-in; what caused it? Was it an accident or sabotage? If the cave-in was deliberate, who did it and why? This story idea can tie in nicely with espionage or revenge tales.

A character's friend or loved one is captured and held for ransom, perhaps against the character's interference in a future crime ("Get in my way while I'm robbing the First National Bank next week, and your girlfriend dies!"), perhaps as part of an old grudge. No one knows where the kidnappers have gone, or even if the loved one is still alive. This type of adventure can incorporate espionage or mystery elements as the characters strive to find the captive before it's too late. Even assuming that they free their loved one, there's still the matter of escape. Getting in is frequently easier that getting out again...

The characters have painstakingly recovered an artifact (or piece of equipment, weapon, computer disk, etc.) of great value, only to have it stolen by a rival group, supervillain,  or collector. Perhaps the item has some great significance to world governments -- nuclear launch codes, invasion plans, you get the idea. Perhaps it's an ancient relic of great magical power. Think of what some people would do to get a hold of such an item... Getting the item back may be more difficult than finding the blasted thing in the first place! This kind of story works great with exploration -- just look at the last half of Raiders of the Lost Ark.