History YMMV / NeverwinterNights

* ScrappyMechanic: Aura of Fear. Many high-level boss-type enemies, particularly Mummies and Dragons, have Auras of Fear around them that inflict the Frighten status on anyone who comes inside the aura. Characters under Fear become ''entirely uncontrollable'' and wander around aimlessly, suffering a -2 penalty to all saving throws. You need equipment to prevent Fear or a high enough Will to make your saving throw against it, and even then as long as you remain within the aura you will need to continue to roll to save against the Aura of Fear. And your henchmen? Forget them, they will pretty much always fall victim to it. Getting hit with Frightened is pretty much a death sentence any time it happens, and can make otherwise unremarkable foes into a GoddamnBoss.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: In ''Hordes of the Underdark'', you come across [[spoiler:A band of villains from the original game led by Grimgnaw, who are looking to take over Cania with Mephistopeles out of town, and they attack you since you're strong enough to threaten their claim]]. The fight received no foreshadowing, is not mentioned afterwards, and serves no plot purpose. It's mostly only there to load you up with powerful items for the final few bosses, the ones you don't need functioning as VendorTrash for the upcoming MoneySink where you'll be spending hundreds of thousands of gold to get what you need.

** Five words - Maximized Isaac's Greater Missile Storm. To summarize, IGMS is a Level 6 Wizard/Sorcerer spell that fires magic projectiles, one for each caster level up to 20. They seek out and hit targets in the area of effect and do 2d6 damage each. Enter Maximize Spell, which raises the level of the target spell by three (making IGMS Level 9) and removes the variables from its effect, placing the values at maximum damage. This means that a Maximized ISGM will fire up to 20 projectiles, each doing 12 damage, for a total of 240 damage for one spell. Oh, and if you use this against a lone enemy (ie, a boss), all the projectiles fire at them. Add in the fact that in ''Hordes'' in particular you begin the game at Level 15 and keep going so you'll have a lot of spell slots for higher-level spells...

* GameBreaker: Clerics. Wearing full-plate armor with no magic penalty? Check. Equipping most kinds of weapons by default? Check. Casting the best spells of the game by far, like Harm? [[RuleOfThree Check.]] Doing so without even having to learn and dislearn spells like the arcane classes? [[IncrediblyLamePun Checkmate.]]
** The "Harm" spell in itself was this throughout the game, lowering the hitpoints of any non-undead enemy down to 1 (and anyone with Harm also gets Heal, which can do the same thing to undead as well as [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin healing]] themselves if needed). It's a sixth-level-spell, meaning you get it at level 11 and will just keep on using it forever all the way to level 40. This particular brokenness was, of course, imported from 3rd edition D&D.

** More of an intentional homage than anything else. The two games have little alike other then being [=RPG=]s based on Dungeons and Dragons rules.
*** Considering what a success the AOL Neverwinter Nights was, it's likely that a few people remember it.

* {{Woobie}}: Deekin, if the PC is mean to him.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: [[spoiler:Aribeth]].

* Greater Sanctuary (6th level cleric / 7th level sorcerer or wizard spell) makes the caster ethereal and undetectable by hostiles as long as the caster doesn't do anything hostile themselves. Black Blade of Disaster (9th level sorcerer/wizard spell) creates a free-thinking weapon with some very nice bonuses that does all the fighting for you as long as you don't do anything other than move around. If you cast Greater Sancturary, then Black Blade, Greater Sanctuary doesn't lose its effect (summoning spells don't count as hostile actions). The only thing threats end up noticing is the weird-looking black thing about to slice them into easy-to-carry pieces.

** In ''Hordes of the Underdark'', Enserric the Sword can become more powerful while vampirizing the health of the Player. Wearing the more powerful variant of Amulet of Vitality will make the Player immune in stat drains. This very worthy combination (powerful upgradable sword and amulet immunizing from poison, diseases, and stat drains) is a game breaker.

* DesignatedEvil: Nathyrra is Evil for mechanical reasons, not because of her actions.

*** This troper let Xanos fight the Skeleton Blackguard in the doorway. Since when a henchman "dies", his body remains an object in the game world, I was able to shoot the Blackguard to death with about a hundred acid arrows over a [[InsurmountableWaistHighFence half-orc barricade]].

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Deekin for some, TheScrappy for others.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: The Charwood. Do not adventure in this region shortly before bedtime. We mean it. It becomes more of a TearJerker once you find out the backstory, but it's still pretty scary.

* MostAnnoyingSound:The quiet tinkling sound of the fairy companion that threatens your sanity.

** Travel around with Deekin and listen to his random musings. Or have him point out [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean Sharwyn's red hair changes color near her scalp]].

* TheUntwist: You mean, [[spoiler:the {{Jerkass}} who has been ridiculing efforts to find a cure for the plague and his priests who cast "blessings" that have the appearance and sound effect of a Negative Energy spell, are actually evil?]]
Ya don't say!

** In chapter two of "Hordes of The UnderDark", The Drow smith Rizolvir will upgrade your weapons for huge amounts of gold. If the player has been careful to save up gold throughout the campaigns they've played they can end up with enough gold to get all of the upgrades on a single weapon. The best possible weapon in the game with the best possible character build can be upgraded to do a maximum of nearly [[InfinityPlusOneSword 300 DAMAGE PER ROUND!]]

** In chapter two of Hordes of The Under Dark, The Drow smith Rizolvir will upgrade your weapons for huge amounts of gold. If the player has been careful to save up gold throughout the campaigns they've played they can end up with enough gold to get all of the upgrades on a single weapon. The best possible weapon in the game with the best possible character build can be upgraded to do a maximum of nearly [[InfinityPlusOneSword 300 DAMAGE PER ROUND!]]

** In chapter two of Hordes of The UnderDark, The Drow smith Rizolvir will upgrade your weapons for huge amounts of gold. If the player has been careful to save up gold throughout the campaigns they've played they can end up with enough gold to get all of the upgrades on a single weapon. The best possible weapon in the game with the best possible character build can be upgraded to do a maximum of nearly [[InfinityPlusOneSword 300 DAMAGE PER ROUND!]]

** As pointed out below, undead bosses often have loads of defenses and immunities as well as fear auras and buffs like stone skin, which makes them very difficult for most character builds...Except for Paladins who are immune to fear and can cast Lay On Hands which goes right past all of the undead's defenses. While a sword or mace might slowly chip away a hitpoint at a time on Brother Tomas, one casting of Lay On Hands can take a third of his health down.