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Not trying to talk him out of his idea. Just trying to convey that this game doesn't change much. So don't expect it.
Ive said for years the game should have skill based PvP, not prep and gear based. However, 20+ years later it's still the same. Go get preps...(Sanc, Harden Skin, Haste, Armor, Shield, Protection Good/Evil, Frenzy, anything at all) then go jump on someone who doesn't know it's coming, isn't ready for it, and has no chance to fight you off, and kill them. After killing them, act as if you have accomplished something amazing. Also, if after all that you for some reason can't kill the person, go find someone else to help you, so it is 2v1, like those two Druid bitches that are currently in the realms. This is considered skill to the playerbase. Has been this way for 20+ years.

This has been the game for as long as I remember. It doesn't and won't change. It will always be who has the better gear, buffs, and knowledge to go find them. So adapt or move on.

Point being, they aren't going to change how Blackjack works on a mount most likely. Maybe, but I doubt it.

to help you with your current issue.

That’s the main point! No need to talk him out of it.

This is easy to address. You can't change the saves on the mount. However, you can change the saves on a player character. You are supposed to Blackjack the player not the mount. If you try and take shortcuts, you should expect repercussions. If you can't Blackjack the player because of the height difference, get a mount to even it out.
What you shouldn't t expect is the game to completely change a long lasting mechanic to help you with your current issue. Every player before you has dealt with this issue, you can overcome as well.

If something has been broken for ages, that doesn’t mean it should stay broken; it just means it’s overdue for fixing.

Everything you wrote ignores the core issue: a thief’s livelihood depends on remaining undetected. Suggesting that a thief should “just Blackjack the rider” or “get a mount” undermines the entire premise of the class. The same goes for assassins. Stealth-based gameplay isn’t about brute-forcing mechanics or evening out mount heights; it’s about precision, risk, and timing.

Right now, dismounting someone carries no meaningful consequence for the rider, which makes the risk disproportionate to the reward. That’s not good design; it’s just a loophole that’s been left unaddressed for too long.

This is easy to address. You can't change the saves on the mount. However, you can change the saves on a player character. You are supposed to Blackjack the player not the mount. If you try and take shortcuts, you should expect repercussions. If you can't Blackjack the player because of the height difference, get a mount to even it out.
What you shouldn't t expect is the game to completely change a long lasting mechanic to help you with your current issue. Every player before you has dealt with this issue, you can overcome as well.

[The Warlock (1989)]

Christopher Reeve didn’t have fly spell.

Sure, he didn’t, I only mentioned him as an example to show how devastating a fall from a mount can be.

Nowhere in the description does it state that fly negates or cushions fall damage, especially from an unexpected dismount or knockdown.

[log]
 Keywords: 'Fly'
-----------------

   Syntax: cast fly <person>

   When successfully cast on a person, that person will rise off the ground.

   If you have this spell, you can control your flight, so instead of spending
   movement points you spend a bit of mana when moving, and can move faster.
   If you have wings, you spend much less movement points than you normally would.

   Otherwise, it's an offensive debuff with a short duration, rendering the victim
   unable to flee and dodge. They can choose to wait it out or land immediately,
   lagging themselves.

   To cancel the effects of this spell in any case, use LAND command.

   Also, you may travel through flight area, if you have any fly form, or any pet
   such as dragon or griffon. Use command FLY to fly. In the air, use WHERE to see
   who's downwards, LAND or DOWN for landing.
[/log]

A fall from a mount should still have real consequences.

Otherwise, it makes the whole risk of dismounting feel pointless.

Right now, the rider pops back up like nothing happened.

There’s an old movie, The Warlock (1989); not sure if you’ve seen it, where the warlock gets hit by a harpoon-like weapon and loses his ability to stay aloft. He manages to soften the impact of the fall, but he definitely isn’t casting spells right after hitting the ground.

https://youtu.be/-rTLgMHH3Uc?t=63

So, to play alone, if a character has a spell fly active, it should at least help lessen the fall damage, not negate it, nor have any influence over the lag.

Christopher Reeve didn’t have fly spell.

He was a transkender / fixed

 

Not a bug (what Z said)

Affirmative

How is it that a rider who falls off a mount can immediately cast spells and perform actions right after hitting the ground?

You’d expect a fall from a horse to cause not just moderate damage but also debuffs (broken arm, leg, hip fracture, concussion, ribs, etc).

Look at Christopher Reeve; tragically, he couldn’t move after his fall.

Yet here, the rider carries on as if nothing happened. No damage, no lag.

How about adding fall damage along with a bit of random lag (1–3 seconds), scaled by the type of fall, the rider’s weight, type of terrain, and the mount’s height?

As a thief, you are risking a lot when attempting to dismount a rider, especially this one...

[log]
<886/886hp 391/391mana 300/300mv 9965tnl | EW>
You step out of the shadows.
hide
You whack a warhorse over the head with a heavy looking sack. Ouch.
A warhorse collapses, sending Kerr tumbling to the ground.
Kerr yells, 'Help! Pimwick has just blackjacked my mount!'
Kerr is in perfect condition.

<886/886hp 391/391mana 300/300mv 9965tnl | EW>
< T: Pimwick TC: perfect condition   E: Kerr EC: perfect condition >
< >

Kerr concentrates for a moment of prayer.
Kerr's fingers flare with brilliant blue light!
You feel unclean.
You trample around loudly again.
Kerr shield blocks your shocking bite.
Kerr shield blocks your shocking bite.
Kerr is in perfect condition.
[/log]

Fixed

Thanks!