I guess I need to be a bit more specific with what I'm trying to accomplish though. I want an NPC that the hero has to rescue, but can't because the NPC is defeated before the player can get it out.
So my grand plan for the Great Paragonian Mission Arc involves requiring a mission to be failed. Basically I want there to be no possible, or nearly so, way for the mission to be completed.
Does anyone have some ideas about how I could do this?