Yeah, that first is mostly what I meant, though I think an optimized character by definition has to contribute to the party (someone can be "optimized" to be the best chef ever, but it's still not really optimized if they put EVERYTHING into that since they have no useful skills).
The other two seem spot on to me.
What if you're playing a level 40 game though?
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Its a scale (as many mention in your own mind). In mine, zero party benefit per round (yahoo builds) through standard builds through optimized builds to Power gaming (4x CR one shot builds).
You can break the game at any level, either as DM or player. Its really a matter of choice. Sometimes its fun to be a nut, especially when you get a group of nuts together.
I probably should've mentioned that the fighter was lvl 20, however, it is rather silly for a fighter at that lvl to kill a standard great wyrm in two hits.
I think there's some exaggerating going on (where are you pulling this +200 a SWING number from? If you're not exaggerating, I'd like to see where this number came from exactly).
Unless you're talking crits? In which case, yeah, a x3 or x4 crit can do some wondrous things. My level 12 Barbarian can hit 317 damage if he crits on one of his swings, so a level 20 character should be doing a lot more than THAT.
But yeah, damage as a Fighter just very naturally gets high up there as you level.
Level 20: 30 Str, Power Attack, +5 2H weapon, Weapon Training +4, Weapon Spec +4.
You're already up to +43 a swing without even breaking a sweat (you've used FIVE of your 20-ish Feats). You get 4 attacks so you're already up to 172 damage on your attacks. Gloves of Dueling will get you another +2.
This doesn't take into account any possible party buffs that may be boosting your damage, hasted attacks, etc, because those things aren't Power Gaming, they come from the rest of the party.
a 2h fighter gets auto crit as an SA at level 19. Hello, x4 weapon, tyvm. Insta 200 pt hit, every time.
High level barb with a crit, easy 200 pts.
Not hard to do.
And it's odd that the fighter killing the wyrm in 2 blows is bad, when the mage can do it with one spell. Ah, well, double standard, alive and well.
==Aelryinth
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A a power gamer takes the best options the rules allow and a munchkin tries to make the rules allow a better option.
Now is that with one swing or all of your swings? I ask because if a lvl 12 is capable of downing a CR 20+ with exactly one swing then you have a broken character, and possibly a DM that is allowing feats or something else that make breaking said character very easy.
With all swings, but critting on one (I use an Earthbreaker).
Note that this was a bit of a "everything coming together at once" bit, since I hit all my attacks (including a hasted one and my little Bite), but still, my point is loads of damage is a thing that doesn't take all that much effort.
He can still hit a solid +102 (without bite, before damage dice) on a usual Raging Power Attack volley, and his only damage Feat is Power Attack (no weapon focus, no Weapon Spec, obviously).
a 2h fighter gets auto crit as an SA at level 19. Hello, x4 weapon, tyvm. Insta 200 pt hit, every time.
High level barb with a crit, easy 200 pts.
Not hard to do.
And it's odd that the fighter killing the wyrm in 2 blows is bad, when the mage can do it with one spell. Ah, well, double standard, alive and well.
==Aelryinth
Well, there you go then.
But don't forget to go for the ridiculous: Give him that extra level, for Weapon Mastery, then it becomes a x5 weapon, and auto-confirms too.
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As a dm I usually use the word "technically" to NOT allow something. Especially when fluff reasons against it.
Personally; I think anyone with a high degree of system mastery should help less-skilled players out or at least be willing to tone it down. But that is getting a little off topic.
My definitions are as follows:
Powergaming is when any player uses their knowledge to trivialize equal Challenge Rating or higher encounters.
Munchkining is when you make fun of other people that can't keep up with your powergaming- despite the fact that you don't think there is anything overpowered about your character.
I only have one guy that I play with who's a powergamer. I don't game with him all the time, but when I do, I take it as a challenge. If the set-up I have is fundamentally flawed (wether it's how the campaign is set up or the variant rules/homebrew systems I periodically throw out there), he WILL find a way to break it, so it's made me more thoughtful as a GM and hobby game designer.
Of course, he makes sure he doesn't hurt anyone else's fun at the table. If it did, then of course we would have a problem.