Ah, yeah that sounds like a great way of doing. I love Morrowind but stagger being based on a dice roll (like everything else in the game, to be fair) sometimes frustrates the hell out of me.
Normally it isn't so bad but it was in a spot with a lot of little 1-square alcoves right under it so the wall was sort of hidden behind other walls as well. I read osur's comment below and it sounds like my lighting issue might be the same thing, because it did flicker practically the whole screen.
I got stuck while fighting that dead goblin in the doorway, it actually happened while the door was still open and I closed it to stop getting hit by arrows from the next room.