The offering is cheap and useless
Everyone talks abut how the offering is all high and mighty. I think its a piece of junk at low levels (ie. below 40) and only becomes a big damage producer once your party is so uber, beating the game is a joke anyway.
Here's my proof for this:
Equip a character at level 30-35 with the gengi glove and the offering, giving them the Atma Weapon and Ilumina plus the best helm and armors you have (I think I was using Terra or Celes). The Atma does about 700-800 damage a turn (only if you have full HP) and the Illumina does a pityful 300-400 (no auto critical strike and very low chance of casting pearl). This totals a max of 4800 damage a turn (usually MUCH lower than that) because even with force armor and a 10% mblock hat you're looking 90% mblock (pretty good, but you'd surprised how many times you get hit) and super low def (that's for the Illumina users, any other sword/weapon will have a nice bit less mblock and therefore even more pityful stats).
Now take that same character and equip them with the hero ring and marvel shoes (or any other relics for that matter), Illumina, a good shield (I think I used Aegis, force or tortoise shield to split up the uber equipment, you know what I'm talking about (pally shield)), a 10% mblock helm and either minerva or force armor. This character had well over 100% mblock, basically making them unhittable. Now for offense: Illumina get's it's critical bonus and inflicks about 2500-3000 damage (that's 1800 less than the max damage for gengi glove-offering), however there is a much higher chance of getting pearl when only attacking with the one weapon. Pearl from Illumina does upwards of 6500 damage.
Also, (correct me if I'm wrong) I think desperation moves can only be pulled off by characters that are fighting using only one weapon and the fight command while in critical. Those moves give supper high damage potentials. And the hero ring and marvel shoes give higher magic damage, plus all the other bonuses from the shoes (haste, regen, safe, shell....).
Another variation (for the people who don't like to take advantage of the mblock bug) is just equip all gengi or other high defense armors on your charater giving them a super high defense, making them extremely though while sacrificing little in offensive strength. Or use a ribbon instead of marvel shoes to block any status aliments that may affect your charater (Zombie anyone?).
For other characters (ie ones that cannot use the atma weapon, illumina combo, the offering does not increase damage too much higher levels over their other special attacks. Some examples include, Blitz bum rush, Tools chain saw (Yes I know edgar can use the swords, but his tools kick enough ass that you can use those big weapons somwhere else), high level swordtech (basically a double damage offering), Throw ninja stars or more powerful items, Lore grandtrain (Strago's weapons suck too much to give him an offering anyways).
So what does this leave us with, Gau (useless), Umaro (does this work, I'll have to try), Relm (she's a magic user or useless like Strago: see above) and Mog (it could be useful if you got an extra aura lance, but Mog is used for Moogle charms and uber defense (255) with snowmufflers and high defense shield, and helm.
The character without the offering+gengi glove is much more effective than the one with the offering+gengi glove. The only exception I know to this rule is Super Setzer with the offering and fixed dice, as they are not effected by the damage so the more dice roles, the better. Locke with the offering + thief glove combo for four captures if you're into stealing.
Again this is at low levels, I know that once you've ubered yourself up the damage production on the thing starts to skyrocket, but there are better things to use to get more out of your characters. Let the flaming begin.
