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Prologue: Welcome to the Perilous Adventures Warbands Guide (PAWG)

What is PAWG?

Picture a realm where the wind carries the sting of ash and the echoes of ruin, where shadows cradle claws or curses, and survival isn’t handed to you—it’s clawed from the jaws of a relentless world. The Perilous Adventures Warbands Guide (PAWG) is a tabletop role-playing game forged from a dream I’ve nursed for years: a system where you and your friends craft a warband—tired, resolute souls banded together—not lone paragons in gleaming plate or wizards unraveling reality with a gesture, but a gritty crew fighting tooth and nail through a landscape that doesn’t blink at your demise. This is about the bonds you forge, the choices you sweat over, and the thin line between victory and the grave, where every scar tells a story and every triumph is hard-won.

PAWG is my passion project, a percentile-based game I’ve honed over countless late nights, now shaped for you to wield. It’s a tale of desperate stakes and fleeting glories, where your warband—characters like Torren, Lira, Eryn, Kael, and Veyra—battles monstrous terrors, rival bands, and the very earth itself, whether in the cursed moors of the Crooked Crown or the sun-scorched wastes of the Ashen Veil. It’s not just about enduring; it’s about etching your name into a world that couldn’t care less if you fade into dust.

How Does It Work?

PAWG runs on a lean, precise core: the percentile die, or d100. Roll two ten-sided dice—one for tens, one for units—to get a result from 1 to 100, aiming to land equal to or under your skill or attribute value, adjusted by the task’s Difficulty. Success isn’t a simple yes-or-no; the Margin of Success—your target minus your roll—measures how well you pull it off, especially in combat, where it amps up your damage. A warrior like Torren with Melee Weapons 100 rolling a 40 lands a hit with a Margin of 60, turning a sword swing into a devastating 87 points of hurt (STR/10 + 15 + 60). It’s easy to grasp yet rich with depth, putting your fate in your hands with every roll.

You’ll craft your character from 340 points spread across six attributes—Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma—capped at 80 to start, with a floor of 10 to keep you grounded. Archetypes like Warrior, Rogue, Scholar, Mystic, or Leader offer inspiration, not shackles—guidelines you can bend with 90 skill points and two distinctions, unique traits like Titan’s Might or Arcane Titan that define your edge. Species—Human, Duskborn, Embermarked, Windrunner, Stonekin—and backgrounds—Soldier, Outcast—add layers of flavor and bonuses. No rigid classes here; your vision shapes your warband, from a blade-wielding Scholar to a Mystic who tracks the wilds.

Combat is swift and brutal—one Move Action and one Standard Action per turn, plus a Reaction to dodge or brace. Damage scales with skill (Margin piles on pain), and hit points (CON + STR x 2) range around 100-180, vulnerable to a skilled foe’s 80+ strike. Magic runs on a Mana Drain system—your Mana Pool (WIS + INT) powers spells, but overreaching costs Fatigue or HP, stacking risk with power. Healing’s tough—Short Rests recover CON/2 (e.g., 40 with CON 80), Long Rests CON + STR (e.g., 80)—and wounds linger, demanding teamwork over solo heroics. Balance is king: no one overshadows the warband, because survival hinges on unity, not supremacy.

How Is It Different?

PAWG carves its own path among tabletop giants—your D&Ds, Pathfinders, Shadowruns—with a few sharp twists. First, the d100. Most games ride the d20, rolling high with modifiers or advantage, but I’ve always craved the percentile’s precision—1 to 100 lets a Melee Weapons 95 edge out an 85 in a way a d20’s 1-20 blurs. Margin of Success ties skill to impact—no endless math, just a clean roll-under with a punchy payoff, honed over years of tinkering.

Second, no power tiers. In D&D 5E, a wizard bends fate while a fighter swings harder; Pathfinder 2E’s feats can crown a star; Shadowrun’s cyber-mages dazzle over street toughs. PAWG levels that field—a Warrior like Torren cleaves for 87 damage with a sword, a Mystic like Kael heals 40 HP at a Mana cost, both vital, neither dominant. Archetypes spark ideas, but distinctions and skills let you blend—a Rogue with Survival 90 or a Leader casting Fire Bolt—without one outstripping the rest.

Third, grit trumps glory. PAWG’s worlds—Crooked Crown’s plague-ridden Europe, Ashen Veil’s vibrant desolation—don’t coddle heroes. Healing’s slow (40 HP Short Rest, 80 Long Rest), magic drains (Fatigue at -10 per shortfall), and combat bites (80 damage vs. 180 HP). Unlike 5E’s swift recovery or Pathfinder’s buffs, PAWG keeps you on edge—warband-focused, not godlike. Shadowrun’s danger echoes here, but PAWG swaps neon for primal peril.

Why This Matters

PAWG is my shot at a balanced system—a vision sparked by my first d100 roll, nurtured through years of notes and dreams. Other games ride power curves—casters soar, martials lag. I wanted a world where Torren’s blade cuts as deep as Kael’s spells mend, where Lira’s stealth and Veyra’s voice hold equal weight, all without a standout stealing the show. The d100 delivers that balance—skills scale smoothly, no tiered leaps, just your grit, luck, and the warband’s bond against a merciless tide.

Feedback and Collaboration

This isn’t carved in stone—it’s alive, and I need your hands to shape it. After years of scribbling, PAWG is yours to claim. Does the d100 sing for you, or trip on the roll? Are archetypes free enough, or too loose? Is combat’s bite just right, or too sharp? Your feedback—your warbands, your foes, your worlds—will refine it. Playtest a clash in the Ashen Veil’s dunes, tweak a distinction’s edge, or spin a new realm—maybe an ‘80s horror twist or an epic fantasy surge. Together, we’ll hone PAWG’s balance: no power kings, just a crew of equals facing the dark. Roll your dice, join the fight, and tell me what sparks!

Collaboration Notes

Some reflections on my goals for PAWG:

  • Balance Success: No power classes means Torren’s sword (87 damage) and Kael’s heals (40 HP) shine together—distinctions like Fleet of Foot keep Veyra vital without breaking parity.
  • D100 Strengths: Percentile precision—Spellcasting 100 vs. 90 feels real—Margin ties skill to outcome (60 Margin = 60 damage), rewarding growth without tiers.
  • Potential Snags:
  • Math: Roll-under with Difficulty (e.g., 100 - 40 = 60 target) might slow newbies—pre-calculated targets on sheets help?
  • Lethality: 80 damage vs. 180 HP hits hard—gritty, but tweakable (e.g., Margin caps)? Healing’s pace (40 Short, 80 Long) keeps tension—soften Fatigue (1 per 10 Mana deficit)?
  • Collaboration Hooks:
  • Playtesting: A Crooked Crown ambush—test speed, healing strain.
  • Distinctions: New ideas—Pathfinder (+20 Survival vs. tracks)?
  • Worlds: Beyond Crooked Crown and Ashen Veil—an ‘80s Shadows mode or Epic Legends—your worlds welcome!