Has anybody else besides me, hung out on Ascension Peak longer than normal, to get their party to high levels, to max their skills, stats, etc, beyond what is "normal"?

I would assume that a reasonable party would like to see what high-level spawns are on AP (regardless of party level, level 50 ArmeGazers always seem to spawn). Yes, the game cheats.

A level 36 Human Psionic would be able to max 5 stats. For the perfectionists out there, a few extra levels would be required for 5 stats maxed professions.

While I always crave for better, possibly maxed stats, farming in W8, no matter where, is always pretty exhausting, where the additional gains diminish, while the fights remain comparably crazy tough, not to mention the tremendous footwork to hunt in the vast area, for new respawns.

Anyways, kudoos for your strong will to persist in your quest for perfection.

As soon my resistances are 100, but cannot deflect all attack, my magic school skill (well, both, i.e. Wizardry schools & Fire Magic) are also 100 but still cannot guarantee to pierce through enemy resistances, my Ranged Combat is 100 and Bows & Crossbows is 100, but still miss 3 times out of 4 shots... I basically stop seeing a reason to grind XP and just go with the flow.

I usually will assume that all characters would like to max at least 4 stats, though 5 maxed can be done with careful allotment.

A hard and fast rule is that: All non-casters, hybrids, and Divinity casters will treat Intelligence and Piety as their dump stats.

Primary casters will treat Strength and Dexterity as their dump stats (they will want the extra HPs from Viitality so they won't be one-shotted, as well as the extra mana from Piety).

on a sidenote: plan playing Dodd's mod, which from my experience pushes the level-up to higher spheres.
Random encounters in Eastern WIlderness (where the sorceress is) are giving me already 1.3 M Experience.

It's hard enough to grind a 6-person party to level 40 in vanilla (hoping to max 5 stats by then). Level 50 is insanity.

The mod you discuss should give higher experience, while keeping the same level up experience requirements. Basically, it should be possible to get level 50 characters, with a lot of work, though not hopeless work, if you get what I'm saying.

Something, what you already must have realized, as one of the few pushing tirelessly for maxed stats... apart from speed, that is fair (higher speed = acting earlier and possibly more times per turn)
All other skills and stats, even if on 125, cannot guarantee true dominance in most combat scenarios.
What I am getting at: while it always feels good to train our characters to extremes, combat output / results will be nearly always based on luck and RNG. Even as basic attribute as To-Hit, not to speak about low-chance elements like criticals (or status effects)

Leaving the battle stronzo of W8 behind, I wish I will behold your maxed character sheets eventually. Especially as I was always too lazy to pull out the full scale potential of leveling in W8, it might be refreshing to be motivated by your effort ^_^

I'm in the Monastery, doing some heavy magic training for my MDP (Magic Damage Party). I have a Bard, Gadgeteer, Priest, Alchemist, Psionic, and Mage. This will grant six flavors of magic: Instruments, Gadgets, Divinity, Alchemy, Psionics, and Wizardry spellbooks.

I picked 3 Male and 3 Female characters, to be fair to both genders (gender doesn't matter much in this game, as it shouldn't). All 6 are Humans, to get the highest possible stat sum (remember that Humans are the Master Race, starting with 45 to all stats, 5 more total stat points than the Hobbit, and 10 or 15 higher than all other races).

Everybody is level 15 currently. My Psionic is looking the best: 45 Strength and Dexterity (dump stats), Intelligence 95 (waiting for the Trynton Fountain, where he will max Intelligence, and unlock Powercast), Piety and Vitality 58, Speed 98 (about to max), Senses 60. Next level (16), he will have maxed Speed, unlocking SnakeSpeed, while Powercast will be unlocked later, with patience, at the Trynton Fountain (you don't want to waste the 5 points). At level 36, he will also have maxed Piety, Vitality, and Senses, unlocking Iron Will, Iron Skin, and Eagle Eye late in the game (though he is the first to get 5 stats maxed).

All others will have 5 stats maxed around level 40 or 41, due to stat requirements.

Pretty good, right?