SCARRED VETERAN 
Why have you come here? It is well known that I do not wish to be disturbed." "The Elven armies are marching out of the North Forests again. Their Gods have demanded retribution for our recent raids.""Raiding is a futile effort.""We had no choice! We needed the food!""And in the process you took more than their food I'd wager. And enjoyed it as well. The problem with raiding for food is that it doesn't solve your initial predicament, it just provides a short term fix while granting you new enemies. You'd have done better to trade with them, or learn their agriculture""Trade?!? The Elves have been our enemies since the dawn of time! They have killed countless thousands of our people! How can someone who is considered the hero of the Dawning Wars even speak of such a thing?""Listen to me well boy. I am old. Far older than any Orc has any right to be. I have seen countless wars in Gruumsh's name, none of which furthered the cause of our people or brought us anything to show for the countless dead lost in them. We created enemy after enemy, murdered everything in out path, and raped the women of other races in the hopes of breeding them out of existence. Our people have created so much suffering in the world it is unlikely we will ever be forgiven. You called me a hero. I am not. I am considered such because I am the only living thing to have survived the last battle of the Dawning Wars, and on that day I swore that I would never fight in the name of our Gods again. Gods look after their own wants and needs, not those of mortals. You would do better to put aside what Gruumsh demands of you, and make peace with the Elves while you can.""I will not listen to such blasphemy! I was sent here to get your help against an old foe, and I find you weak in your old age! It is disgusting that you would turn your back on the enemies that murdered your fellow tribesmen!""The Elves did not kill anyone in the last battle.""What? How is that possible? The elders say it is so?""Your elders repeat what has been told to them. More specifically what I told them. I knew the wars would never end, so I told them the Elves were too powerful. The Elves didn't kill our warriors, I did. And when I finished I butchered the Elves as well to ensure that they didn't press the issue and come out of the forests to pursue us. Neither side had any warrior powerful enough to fight me. The Elves didn't consider pursuing what was left of our tribe to be worth the cost, and our tribe thought the Elves were too strong to face again. I created peace for what I hoped would be several generations. Long enough for both sides to see the wars were pointless. And in a few weeks time you have ruined that. There is a price to pay for intruding on my solitude, and you will have paid it in spades before your spirit departs this realm boy. And if you are lucky I will not send your family to the Abyss directly behind you..." Orcs live short lives. With the constant fighting they're likely to die before seeing any kind of old age, and even if they don't die on the field they're just as likely to die being challenged by one of their own to a duel, being poisoned by a slave, or die from starvation or from eating tainted food because it's the only thing available.
But some Orcs are lucky. Lucky and smart, and incredibly tough. They survive the wars, they beat all the challengers that come for them, and they're tough enough to eat any poison and come through it okay. Their endurance comes at a price. Living longer than other Orcs mean they learn much more. They get to see some of the truth about the world around them, and their place in it. It's inevitable most turn their back on the Orcs never ending racial war against the Elves and other Humanoids. They know it will end in death. They live on as protectors of their people, but they no longer identify with them. They are lost souls who feel they have no place in the world, and they are very dangerous people...
BECOMING A SCARRED VETERAN Simple survival is how most orc warriors achieve this class, and there are perhaps a handful in the world at any given moment. Their tendencies to challenge Gruumsh inevitably get the better of them...
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Race: Orc
BAB: +30
Base Fort Save: +22
Damage Reduction: DR 20/-
Feats: Extend Rage, Instantaneous Rage, Mad Foam Rager, Mage Slayer, Pierce Magical Protection
Epic Feats: Damage Reduction x3, Epic Fortitude, Epic Reflexes, Epic Will, Extended Lifespan x 2
Skills: Intimidate 30 ranks, Survival 30 ranks
Class Skills The Scarred Veteran's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (History, Local, War), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skills Points at Each Level : 4 + int
Hit Dice: d12
Abilities
1. Legendary Killer
2. Legendary Toughness
3. Legendary Rage
4. Legendary Killer
5. Legendary Toughness
6. Legendary Rage
7. Legendary Killer
8. Legendary Toughness
9. Legendary Rage
10. Godslayer
Weapon Proficiencies: A Scarred Veteran gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies.
Legendary Killer (Ex): Beginning at 1st level you threaten a critical with any attack which rolls a natural 12 or higher. You also have a 50% chance to cause a critical hit on any creature immune to criticals if you confirm it successfully on one.
At 4th level you automatically threaten a critical with any successful hit, and may now critically hit any creature normally immune to critical hits.
At 7th level with any successful hit your opponent must make a Fortitude Save (DC is 10 plus 1/2 HD plus Strength Modifier for melee attacks or Dex modifier for Ranged attacks) or die. If the Save is successful he automatically takes the maximum damage you could do (and it's doubled do to the successful critical). You may now successfully critically hit deities (though they are still immune to the instant death effect).
Legendary Toughness (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level you are immune to disease, poison, sleep effects, stunning, or being dazed.
At 5th level your DR affects all damage that isn't done by an energy source, not just weapon attacks.
At 8th level your DR changes to Invulnerability, and is subtracted from all damage (energy included) done to you.
Legendary Rage (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level you are immune to Critical Hits and Death Effects while Raging.
At 6th Level you are immune to Mind Affecting Effects while Raging.
At 9th level you automatically succeed on all Fortitude Saves while Raging.
Godslayer (Ex): You now permanently gain the benefits of Rage with none of the drawbacks (i.e. AC penalty, limited actions, etc). If you can actually personally slay a God in combat you may take his place as a Deity with Divine Rank 1.
PLAYING A SCARRED VETERAN You have seen every atrocity the world has to offer, and quite probably committed many of them yourself. Nothing fazes you anymore, but after years of warfare your mind has taken more than it can handle. Perhaps you find solace in remaining apart from everyone, performing your deeds in secret. Some of you have become serial killers, seeking to lose the pain of their existence by taking the lives of others away from them. Others are little more than feral beasts or delusional madmen. A few have even taken it upon themselves to take down the very Gods responsible for creating your race.
Combat: A Scarred Veteran is all about combat. That's what you've done all your life, and what you always believed you'd do in the afterlife. You've learned enough of the world to realize that war isn't the best answer, but you yourself rarely use anything but violence to solve your problems. Some say the long life of killing has unhinged you. Others realize your insanity may be the reason you've made it this far. You were simply a far better murderer than your fellow tribesmen.
Advancement: Scarred veterans almost always fall foul of the clergy of the Orc Pantheon, usually because they've abandoned it's cause. Or because they've made killing the Gods so the Orcs can get some peace a personal hobby. Because good or evil, almost all Scarred Veterans have the same goal: personally killing Gruumsh, along with the rest of the Gods.
Resources: You have whatever wealth you have gained from a life of adventuring, or plundered in nonstop warfare in the name of your former gods. A few of you may have even set yourselves up as minor kings among your kind, but usually the few existing Orc veterans are loners.
SCARRED VETERANS IN THE WORLD "One day he'll come back to rescue us all and destroy the Elves. You'll see." Scarred veterans have usually withdrawn from the world. Alienated from their own kind, and shunned by everyone else they feel they have no place in the world. Most are insane from the things they have witnessed or done. They may help those they find worthy, or they may devour everything in their path if disturbed.
Daily Life: Veterans are dangerously unstable, and many of them prefer the life of hermits. And as long as everyone else accepts that, things will be fine. If anyone disturbs them, and reminds them the world may not necessarily be willing to leave them alone however, bad things will happen. Nearby villages will have to accept that the powerful warrior will be spending his days picking fruit in his garden, or picking his knives out of their dead and dying bodies.
Notables: Tarn (CN Male Orc Barbarian 20/Epic Barbarian 20/Scarred Veteran 5) is a fairly unstable Orc who has achieved worldwide fame among his kind. If they knew his secrets, he'd be famous for different reasons.
Organizations: A few Scarred Veterans head their own organization, but most dislike belonging. They're too independent to want to be tied down to a bureaucracy or chain of command.
NPC Reaction NPC's tend to either worship Veterans as heroes, or fear them. It's almost always the latter though. The Veterans are too unpredictable for the hero worship to last once people realize they're not entirely sane.
SCARRED VETERANS IN THE GAME Make sure your players are comfortable with someone playing a lunatic. A Veteran is crazy enough that if the player decides to kill all the other members of the team in their sleep, it wouldn't be out of character. So this might be best as an NPC PrC.
Adaptation: This is definitely meant for gritty campaigns, and is fairly high level. High enough that most groups won't be playing one, though they may encounter one as an 'end boss' so to speak.
Encounters: Scarred Veterans are rarely seen, and if they are it's most likely because the PC's have accidentally stumbled on their home. At first they probably won't realize the old Orc fumbling about in his garden is any real danger. If he gets angry that will change quickly. The only other time they're encountered is when one of them finally loses it and decides to travel the Planes to personally challenge Gruumsh.
Sample Encounter EL 45: The PC's have come across an Orc village burned to the ground a few days away from where they encountered a field littered with the corpses of an Elven battalion. Eventually they find a small cottage in the woods with an old Orc male living there. He seems to old to be a threat, and his memory is going. They decide he's of no help and ride on. At least until they notice the scare crow standing in his crops is the corpse of a young Orc warrior...
TarnCN Male Orc Barbarian 20/Epic Barbarian 20/Scarred Veteran 5
Init +4,
Senses: Listen +34, Spot +1, Dark Vision 60'
Languages Common, Orc
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AC 44, touch 20, flat-footed 44 (+14 Armor, +10 Deflection, +10 Natural)
AC Raging 42, touch 18, flat-footed 42 (-2 Rage, +14 Armor, +10 Deflection, +10 Natural)
hp 517 (45 HD), 697 Raging
Fort +29 (+33 Raging, +39 w/Cloak, +43 w/Cloak and Raging),
Ref +20 (+30 w/Cloak),
Will +17 (+21 Raging, +27 w/Cloak, +31 w/Cloak and Raging)
Uncanny Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Trap Sense +13, Indomitable Will
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Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee +18 Greataxe +60/+55/+50/+45 (1d12+25, x3)
Melee Raging +18 Greataxe +64/+59/+54/+49 (1d12+31, x3)
Base Atk +37,
Grp +42 (+46 Raging)
Atk Options Rage 11/day, Mighty Rage, Tireless Rage, Legendary Killer, Legendary Rage
Combat Gear 2 Potions of Cure Serious Wounds
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Abilities Str 20 (28 Raging), Dex 10, Con 21 (29 Raging), Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10
SQ Light Sensitivity, Fast Movement, Illiteracy, DR 20/-, Legendary Toughness
Feats Damage Reduction x3, Daylight Adaptation, Epic Fortitude, Epic Reflexes, Epic Will, Extended Lifespan x2, Extend Rage, Great Constitution x3, Improved Initiative, Instantaneous Rage, Mad Foam Rager, Mage Slayer, Pierce Magical Protection, Terrifying Rage
Skills Climb +23 (+27 Raging), Hide +10, Intimidate +30, Jump +23 (+27 Raging), Listen +34, Move Silently +10, Ride +18, Spellcraft +2, Survival +34, Swim +23 (+27 Raging)
Possessions +6 Greater Spell Resistance (SR 27) Negating Full Plate, +10 Ring of Epic Protection, +10 Cloak of Epic Resistance, +10 Amulet of Epic Natural Armor, +18 Greataxe, Ring of Rapid Healing, Winged Boots, 2 Potions of Cure Serious Wounds, 100 GP
