Editing Big List of RPG Plots (section)

== Troublemakers==

A bad guy (or a group of them, or multiple parties) is kicking up a ruckus, upsetting the neighbors, poisoning the reservoirs, or otherwise causing trouble. The PCs have to go where the trouble is, locate the bad guys, and stop the party.
* The PCs must not harm the perpetrator(s); they must be bagged alive and well. 
* The bad guys have prepared something dangerous and hidden as "insurance" if they are captured. 
* The "bad guy" is a monster or dangerous animal (or an intelligent creature that everybody thinks is a monster or animal). 
* The "bad guy" is a respected public figure, superior officer, or someone else abusing their authority, and the PCs might meet hostility from normally-helpful quarters who don't accept that the bad guy is bad. 
* A balance of power perpetuates the trouble, and the PCs must choose sides to tip the balance and fix things. 
* The "trouble" is diplomatic or political, and the PCs must make peace, not war.