So, This Troper doesn't know why everyone rags on dual-wielding and raves about spiked chains. He had a player in his campaign present a character build for a 15th level fighter. Using Monkey Grip and Oversized Two Weapon Fighting, this character was dual wielding ''scythes''. Magic, keen scythes. Average damage was working out at more than 60 points per round. It's the only character build I've ever shut down without question.

Two-Weapon Fighting is an excellent build, but yours isn't so good. Instead try a Human Rogue 11/Figther 4 with all the two-weapon fighting feats and Weapon Finesse; dual-wield Kukris for maximum effect. Of course you need to flank your opponent but you can deal easily over 150 damage a round if you are hasted and hit with all your attacks, even hitting with just two or three out of 7 attacks deals more damage than your build. That's core only as well. Alternatively a Half-Orc Barbarian 15 wielding a + 5 lance atop a horse with the Spirited Charge feat and a Rage adjusted Strength of 30 (that's a conservative strength mind you) deals (1d8+ 20)x3, average 72, more if you use power attack (a mere -5 to hit gives + 30 to damage) on a charge. Also core only. If you don't mind non-core there is a way to give a Barbarian the Pounce ability, allowing him to make a full attack on a charge, each attack doing that much damage.

For a simpler build, a Wizard 15 with the maximize spell feat can maximize a Cone of Cold to deal 90 damage, reflex half, against multiple foes. 60 average damage simply isn't very Min Maxed. Non core a Wizard/Sorcerer 15 can Maximize an Orb of Acid/Cold/Fire/Lightning to do that much damage to a single foe, and since it's a touch attack it will almost certainly hit.

Not an example. Dual-wielding is a feat trap, Monkey Grip doubly so. 60 damage/round is nothing special on level 15. Dungeons and Dragons min-maxers go the two-handed weapon route. If they play a fighter class at all, rather than the usual of a Batman Wizard, a CoDzilla or a Druid.

Scythes in 3.5 have a x4 Crit multiplier. I once built a Rakshasa Scythe Specced Weapon Master in a Neverwinter Nights server that was modded for enemies to drop epic level weapons regularly and level limits removed on all items. At level 14 or so I was routinely critting for 150 plus damage with my epic tiered keen scythe and even the higher level players were wary of my ability to knock over half their health off with one attack in the PVP arena.

This Troper sometimes thinks he was Min/Maxed. He has a series of non-critical health issues that on paper sound like they wouldn't be too bad (bad allergies, bad joints, bad sinuses...). Which would free up points to spend on Intelligence, Strength, and the like, which he does have in above average amounts.

In a Heavy Gear game This Troper is partaking in, 2 main PC's were recently killed. This Troper created a balanced character, who'se pretty competent in their field. The second new PC, is about the size of an eight year old child, has the physical strenght of a death camp survivor, will fall over after running 5 steps, but it a spectacular gear pilot, and has such high agility, he's impossible to hit. With some slight Genre Savviness, my character has taken to refering to him by the nickname 'Munchkin'.

This Troper plays with two engineering majors who have been playing 3.x editions D&D since 3.0 came out. It's not so much that they min-max as they are incapable of NOT min-maxing, even when they are deliberately making a character for flavor over power. (And when they DO actively min-max-- fortunately, not often-- my god....) It's rather frustrating to play alongside, as I either have to get them to help me build my character or spend weeks reading every single applicable source book if I want my own character to not be completely useless alongside theirs. And even then, it rarely works.

This troper is like this in real life: No strength, No Charisma, No Constitution, No wisdom. Incredible Dexterity and Intelligence.

Minmaxing is a habit of human beings. I've yet to mean a really well-rounded person.

Really? Most people I know are average to above average in everything.

Wouldn't that make them above average the new Average?

This troper qualifies as a min-maxer, but not because he thinks it's "right," because he enjoys seeing how far he can bend and stretch the system.

This troper is involved in a game of the Series/DoctorWho tabletop game, in which their friend is an extraordinary min-maxer. He has nearly all of the weaknesses (Bad Traits) available in the system, has sold all of his Story Points (get out of jail free cards) for skill points, and has very few positive traits. However, he has a minimum of 5/6 points in every category, except for a couple which he's ignored. One of his only good traits allows him to go over the six point minimum. He managed to roll higher than the Doctor (played by me) nearly every time.

This troper was playing a FF based tabletop and ended up with a character who had 2 dex but 12 strength, did 200% more damage to beasts and constructs,never had to sleep or even breath, and started with a tier 2 weapon making me do 2d6+24 damage when I attack. Did I mention this is at level 1.

In a swiss amateur tabletop adaptation for {{Fallout}}, I created a way overpowered character. Strengh: 3, Perception: 10, Endurence: 3, Charisma: 3, Intelligence: 10, Agility: 6, , Luck: 6, Small frame (AG +1 (explaining why I have 41 points for my stats), but lowers the wheigh I can carry), finesse (Critical rate boost, but lower damage output). With that, I maxed out my skill points gain, and spend all my points in Small guns, Healing, and Sneak. Then, I took Nigh Vision perk, and all the perks boosting my critical rate, and kept aiming just between the eyes. So I got 8 criticals out of ten shots, and 3 lethal (or coma inducing) criticals out of ten. That means that every four shots I take, any ennemy will go down, even if I shoot with a wooden gun. And even if my ennemy wears a Power Armor. My sneak skills means I can get close enough to take a shoot without fear of getting shot wjile moving, my high perception means I can't fall for an ambush, night vision means that I got a huge advantage during nighttime, and with my healing skills, if I'm wounded, I can heal myself. Sure, I don't have many HitPoints, and can't wear heavy armor, but as long as someone is covering me the old fashioned way, I can destroy anything that isn't a tank.

This troper GMs for a bunch of minmaxers. He usually keeps his cool with the players, but there comes a limit. After having a 10 minute long argument with a player about why he can't have Dex of 4 and IQ of 5 in GURPS without being mentally retarded and lame, He then hit his boiling point, and then screamed "YOU MOTHER FUCKING, COCK SUCKING, RULES LAWYERING, MIN MAXING, BASTARD!" and walked out of the room.

This troper once min-maxed a World of Warcraft pre-BC hunter for the sole purpose of defeating VC. What a noob I was as I basically meleed the hell outta him. That was level 38 in 2005; today anyone with half a brain could do so at less than level 30.