EffectKnockdown()

Returns a knockdown effect.

effect EffectKnockdown();

Description

Create a Knockdown effect. This effect knocks creatures off their feet, they will sit until the effect is removed. This should be applied as a temporary effect with a 3 second duration minimum (1 second to fall, 1 second sitting, 1 second to get up).

Knockdown makes a creature prone - dodge AC, dexterity bonuses will not apply and any attacks can be automatic sneak attacks, as they will not be able to react to a sneak attack.

Knockdown stops movement and plays a special animation - there is no need for a visual effect. Very few models/monsters do not have a "Knockdown" state.

The target this effect is applied to must be a creature for it to work. This effect cannot be applied instantly or permanently, only temporarily. This is mainly because knockdown does have a standing animation and is hard to remove otherwise.

Remarks

Knockdown is countered by, either high discipline for the feats FEAT_KNOCKDOWN and FEAT_IMPROVED_KNOCKDOWN, or IMMUNITY_TYPE_KNOCKDOWN.

Knockdown is very powerful - yes, mainly because it is a feat (which represents the P&P "trip" actions), but it does have the similar effect on casters as any thing that stops them moving or casting spells - almost death.

Knockdown, when removed, should normally stand up, not instantly go to standing. However, the effect type when GetEffectType() is used is 0 - which is the same for a few other effects (see EFFECT_TYPE_* constants).

Effect Breakdown

There is no identifiable information with GetEffectInteger frustratingly, given the GetEffectType bug.

The main properties of knockdown are:

• Target is set to uncommandable ala SetCommandable - this uses a built in engine effect that uses "~AISTATE_CREATURE_CONTROLLABLE"
• Target plays animation to fall to the ground (this may depend on the creator of the effect and their location - or may be random - which is chosen).
• Target gets up
• Target is made commandable again

Note that the commandable state can be altered via. scripting and actions be injected in even though they're in the middle of knockdown, eg:

// This will knockdown OBJECT_SELF, then after 1.5 seconds moves them 10 meters away from their current location while still "knocked down". When knockdown is removed the person can automatically move again.
void Push(float fDuration)
{
    ApplyEffectToObject(DURATION_TYPE_TEMPORARY, EffectVisualEffect(VFX_DUR_FREEZE_ANIMATION), OBJECT_SELF, fDuration);
    SetCommandable(TRUE, OBJECT_SELF);
    ActionMoveAwayFromLocation(GetLocation(OBJECT_SELF), TRUE, 10.0);
    SetCommandable(FALSE, OBJECT_SELF);
}
void main()
{
    ApplyEffectToObject(DURATION_TYPE_TEMPORARY, EffectKnockdown(), OBJECT_SELF, 6.0);
    DelayCommand(1.5, Push(4.5));
}

As noted above the minimum duration appears to need to be 1 or 2 seconds to allow the full animations to play else it looks wonky.

It cannot be applied to plot creatures but can to immortal creatures.

Known Bugs

This returns 0 for GetEffectType, its hard to remove any knockdown without a unique constant!

Version

1.62

Example

// Sample code for applying knockdown (10 seconds) to a target

void main()
{
    // This is the Object to apply the effect to.
    object oTarget = OBJECT_SELF;

    // Create the effect to apply
    effect eKnockdown = EffectKnockdown();

    // Create the visual portion of the effect. This is instantly
    // applied and not persistent with whether or not we have the
    // above effect.
    effect eVis = EffectVisualEffect(VFX_IMP_PULSE_WIND);

    // Apply the visual effect to the target
    ApplyEffectToObject(DURATION_TYPE_INSTANT, eVis, oTarget);
    // Apply the effect to the object   
    ApplyEffectToObject(DURATION_TYPE_TEMPORARY, eKnockdown, oTarget, 10.0);
}

Knock Down on Back

If you want to force a knockdown animation, you could write a wrapper function that uses ReplaceObjectAnimation to achieve this effect.

// Knocks down a player onto their back for fDuration.
void KnockDownBack(object oPlayer, float fDuration) { 

	ReplaceObjectAnimation(oPlayer, "kdfnt", "kdbck");
	ReplaceObjectAnimation(oPlayer, "kdfntps", "kdbckps");
	ReplaceObjectAnimation(oPlayer, "kdfntdmg", "kdbckdmg");

	AssignCommand(oPlayer, ApplyEffectToObject(DURATION_TYPE_TEMPORARY, EffectKnockdown(), oPlayer, fDuration));

	DelayCommand(fDuration, ReplaceObjectAnimation(oPlayer, "kdfnt", ""));
	DelayCommand(fDuration,ReplaceObjectAnimation(oPlayer, "kdfntps", ""));
	DelayCommand(fDuration,ReplaceObjectAnimation(oPlayer, "kdfntdmg", ""));
}

See Also

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 author: Michael Nork, editor: Jasperre, additional contributor(s): Lilac Soul, Jasperre