Typical adventures & atypical adventurers

[AFGNCAAP]

This thread about class archetypes has got me thinking about PCs in general, especially ones that don't closely match up your "typical" PC class or race.

I'm curious how any homebrew races or classes (esp. ones that are quite different from the established ones) fare when used in a typical adventure, say a printed module or adventure from Dungeon magazine. You know, the stuff pretty much written for parties with a fighter, cleric, mage, and rogue, with a human and other PH races represented. Rather generic, if you will.

Or, how unusual characters made with the standard options fare as well in such adventures: for example, rogues without any trapfinding or stealth skills whatsoever; a party full of PCs with ACs that are Dex-based/Dodge-based instead of armor-based (and thus without many AC bonuses when movement or dodging isn't an option); spellcasters with a 10-11 score in their main spellcasting-related attribute; fighters who rely on big critical ranges for damage instead of big damage die (and thus at a disadvantage with opponents that are immune to criticals); etc.

How did they do?

 

[AuraSeer]

spellcasters with a 10-11 score in their main spellcasting-related attribute

Above 3rd level or so, such characters are practically worthless, if they even exist at all. This has nothing to do with archetypes; it's a matter of pure numbers-based limitations.

In order to cast any spell, you must have the appropriate attribute at 10 + spell level. A wizard with Int 11 would be stuck filling all his spell slots with metamagicked first-level spells. This will do precisely squat against reasonable opponents. (A Widened Enlarged Maximized Empowered burning hands may be nice, but it's hardly comparable to the meteor swarm you would have used if you had Int 19.)

Someone with casting in a minor multiclass-- say, a FtrX/Sor1-- could get away with an 11 in the pivot attribute, but for a primary caster it'd be crippling.