they'd be just as scary using TERPS
In many respects, maybe even more so - it probably just depends which one you're accustomed to using. I haven't seen too many downright scary TERPS procedures, but I've seen quite a few that are severely convoluted.
I think that the real dfference, however, is that there's very little flexibility in TERPS, especially in areas of a significant quantity of obstacles. PANS OPS gives us a lot more flexibility in designing procedures, which is an especially big help where I am.
But, yes...
but with various notes about deviations.
That's a fair call. It's fair for the designer - and the pilot - because it helps to highlight the need to abide by any non-standard aspect of a procedure. For the most part, these notes relate to speed limits that are necessary for obstacle avoidance.