Highest Possible Damage Attack in Neverwinter Nights

Naturally, increasing Strength and the weapon Enchantment bonus will increase damage output. But, I am wondering which Level 40 Player character can achieve the highest possible damage on a single strike.

For the specifics, let's use a +5 weapon with no other properties on an enemy with no particular Damage Vulnerability, though if the answer changes with a +10 Enchantment bonus, that might be interesting to note. And, let's only consider legal characters, meaning that you have to be able to level up from Level 1 to Level 40 via the Neverwinter Nights interface. Let's assume that items and spells provide the full +12 Ability bonuses, but do not provide any other feats or damage-assisting spells. And let's just discuss the base game (1.69, with HotU), without any Hakpaks.

Of course this maximal damage strike will not correspond to maximum DPS and this character might have glaring weaknesses, but this question will be much easier to answer objectively than something like "What is the best PvE character?"

neverwinter-nights

Best Answer

I have calculated 2230 as the maximum possible damage for a hit. But that doesn't answer the question.

I can achieve this with a Paladin 21, Champion of Torm 14, Weapon Master 5 wielding a Scythe, ending with (STR/DEX/CON/INT/WIS/CHA) 14/13/8/13/14/26, having started at 14/13/8/13/12/16.

You might think like I do every time I see that Class and Ability breakdown, that certainly I could shift some of the Paladin levels to more Champion of Torm levels, but I haven't found any other build that will reach these heights.

I couldn't start with a higher Charisma score because I needed 13 in Dexterity and Intelligence for the Weapon Master prerequisite Feats and 13 in Strength for Power Attack. And the game wouldn't let me start Wisdom at any lower than 11.

And I had to save my Champion of Torm levels until the Character hit a score of 25 in Charisma, because Champion of Torm allows of the selection of Great Smiting as one of its bonus feats, but it only provides a bonus Feat every other level for the first ten levels.

Feats of note:

Great Smiting X: Add ten times Class level to any Smite hit (Requires 25 Charisma)
Divine Might: Add Charisma bonus to damage (Requires Power Attack)

The Damage breakdown:

Scythe: 13 (2D4, with +5 bonus)
Strength: 12 (Strength 26, for +8 bonus, but two-handed weapon)
Power Attack: 5 (If I have it, might as well use it)
Holy Avenger: 6 (1D6, from Paladin spell Holy Sword)
Prayer: 1 (Paladin spell)
Divine Favor: 5 (Paladin spell)
Divine Might: 14 (38 Charisma, from Feat)
Divine Wrath: 5 (Champion of Torm Feat)
Smite Evil: 385 (Great Smiting X, with 35 in Paladin + Champion of Torm levels)
Critical Hit: x5 (Scythe x4, with Weapon Master Increased Multiplier feat)

So, this can hit for 446*5 = 2230. I couldn't even fit Extra Smiting and Improved Critical (Scythe) into this build, so if this hit misses, the character better run quickly.

One note: I suppose I could hit for slightly more on an Undead enemy that doesn't have Critical Hit immunity with Bless Weapon, but not too many Undead creatures can suffer Critical Hits.