Maybe there's other roguelite/roguelike games that have this figured out.

https://www.speedrun.com/afterbirthplus#1_Char

The rules for the binding of Isaac have been very defined for example.

I'm new to this community so I don't have weight to push around, but taking from communities that have been around longer and have had to address this issue seems like a good idea.

Personally I'd like everyone to be on equal footing in the reaction department, and using real time seems to be the best way to go about that. Using a lag wand to bring about insane destruction, great it just costs you a bit a of time that will need to be factored into your decision. Can do a frame perfect run with your 30 fps in 30 secs in game, but 3 minutes real life? Dope get your time up there man. It will increase the overall times of the game, but its more about the competition and honing of skill than it is the literal time. That of course is easy for me to say without much invested, but I believe a transition to equality will help the the community as a whole. I think looking at how other communities have handled this is the best way to start and will give us answers to how to better grow this community.