How does the knockback (or knock down) system work?

If you deal a certain amount of HP dmg to the enemy he is knocked back?
If you deal a certain percentage of the enemies HP dmg he is knocked back?
Does armor change this?
Do shields change this?
Are there GMST's or other variables which can modify this system?
Do spells knock you back or just physical attacks?
Do ingame spells (like shield etc) protect you from the knockback mechanic?
Can you create this knockback effect without actually dealing dmg?
Can you create the knock down effect without actually dealing dmg?
Are there mods which work with this system or change this system?
Is it possible to write a mod which disables this mechanic?
Does this knockback effect interrupt spell casting? (I guess the knock down effect does).
Does this knockback effect interrupt a weapon swing?

my understanding is far from perfect, but i believe it's governed by agility and the amount of damage dealt. weight of your weapon also seems to somehow factor in.

i do not think armor or shields change this (except by reducing the damage done, thus preventing the knockdown from happening, but i'm pretty sure they do nothing to base knockdown chance)

there are GMSTs that handle this.

i dont think spells cause it.

fortify agility will help prevent it.

you can cause people to fall, like a knockdown, by draining their fatigue to/past 0.

to make a mod that disables it, it would just be editing the correct GMST and saving the esp.

knockdown indeed seems to inturrupt, but i think it might have something to do with how far along your swing you were before you got hit, much like paralyze.

Not no dmg (or maybe yes) but with minimal damage hand to hand hit or any hit that causes fatigue damage is 100% knockdown (taking into account that it will go bellow 1 like RAKninja said, tho not everything that makes your fatigue reach 0 will knock you down tho). Knock back is only in animation and it does not interrupt anything, at least it never did for me, maybe I always just got hit right in time to recover from a stun in time to normally continue with my actions, but I'm pretty positive about this.

Also, if some animation started while player received a hit that will knock him down player will perform it to the end while falling. So if you already started swinging your sword and there is a hit landed on you that would knock you down, while you are falling swinging action still goes trough the end. I wouldn't give my head in fire that the hit in this state actually damages the PC, but I'm pretty sure it does.


As I said, I'm not 100% sure for both of my opinions, so someone who is sure might correct me. So do not use this information as valid if you need it for anything specific.

edit: however, unlike RAKninja states, I'm pretty sure that the amount of damage does not count in chance for a knock down, not sure for knock off. But my knowledge is also far from perfect so bigger possibility that RAKninja is right

edit 2: knock down and knock back are different things, so I'm referring to knock down as when the NPC/PC falls down to the ground, and knock back when PC/NPC is cast off, stunned, however you like to call it. It usually wouldn't matter, but there are both things in Morrowind so I thought to point it out, sorry if I look like a smart ass, I'm not trying to be :ninja:

Sorry for double post :facepalm:

Thanks for the replies, they helped a lot.

I'm surprised that agility has anything to do with this.
I will have to locate the GMST that governs this mechanic, to be able to experiment with this.