Quote Originally Posted by Zdrak View Post
The problem with this argument is: Magic.

Or rather, the assumption that as your character was developing, he had access to arbitrarity high levels of magic and magical knowledge which just so happened to work in his favor. While this, in theory, might be the case, I see no reason why it necessarily should be.

Example: let's say we determine that the optimal way to build a Wizard is Quicken Spell on level 1, [some metamagic reducer] on level 3, [some kind of PrC on level 4, so you don't get the 5th level wizard feat], and Arcane Thesis on level 6. Let's say it's well known over the Internet that this is the beginning for the most powerful wizard build.

How do we explain this in-character?

When he was level 1, he just happened to find the right mentor for Quicken Spell. Eventhough he can't actually cast any quickened spells and it's a wasted feat for now. But he, while still an entry-level mageling, managed to comb through the collective unconscious memory of humanity, whatever that may mean, teleport the right specialist, and took Quicken Spell, a feat he can't possibly use, because he knew it will benefit his build later and because he knew already then that his 3rd and 6th level feats will combo with it.

I mean, okay, I concede that it's possible, if a bit tenuous, that he happened to have the right mentor, who pointed him into an old book and said "study this. It will become of great value to you later, even if now you do not realize this".

But just because such build is known to be the most powerful out-of-game, it's utterly ridiculous to assume that it should become the norm in-game.
That thing might happen more often than you think, especially if there's some soer of formal wizard wducation involved. See RL technical universities: in early years students are taught a ton of math, uselessbat the time but crucial in understanding other technical subjects taught in later years.