TEXT: We’ve seen several topics on the forums along the lines 
  of “What do I do now my characters are Legendary?” Well, 
  Legendary isn’t the end of the journey, it’s just a different road. 
  Let’s take a little look at Legendary characters.
  Am I a God?
  In some games, reaching the top step of the ladder pretty 
  much marks the end of a character. He may have hundreds 
  of “hit points,” stats through the roof, and enough powers to 
  destroy a small army on his own. Not so in Savage Worlds.
  For a start, a character who has just reached Legendary has 
  had just 16 advancements. Sounds a lot, but he’s had to advance 
  his attributes, skills, and Edges with those. Chances are he’s 
  lacking something somewhere, and as a GM, that’s something 
  you should exploit (in a good way).
  Let’s look at several key areas of a typical campaign to see 
  why the Legendary character isn’t a god.
  Combat
  A standard hack and slash fighter reaching Legendary is 
  very likely to have d12 Fighting and Improved Block. It’s not 
  being a munchkin, it’s what the archetype needs. This gives 
  him a Parry of 10, which is pretty high. Arm him with the right 
  weapons/shield, and that goes even higher. So, is the hero 
  invincible? Far from it.
  First, missile weapons need a base 4 to hit, or 6 if the hero 
  has Improved Dodge. Rolling a 6 is much easier than rolling a 
  10+, so the character is still susceptible to missile weapons.
  Second, the maximum amount of stat increases a character 
  can get during his climb to Legendary is 5 (Novice through 
  the first advancement at Legendary). A fighter type needs 
  Agility (unless he’s paid for his combat skills the slow way), 
  Strength, and Vigor as his primaries. Chances are he’s had to 
  skip on Smarts and, to a lesser degree, on Spirit. Sure, he might 
  have raised his Spirit, but Combat Reflexes is a cheap way of 
  avoiding being Shaken for too long. 
  Even at Legendary, a tough hero is susceptible to Tricks 
  and Tests of Will. It won’t kill him obviously, but it can give 
  attackers a bonus to hit or even leave the guy Shaken.
  Third, monsters don’t have to be stupid. A top-end character 
  in another game might be able to slay 50 goblins without much 
  thought, but in Savage Worlds, the goblins can Gang Up or use 
  Tricks to get advantages. Goblins may only have a d6 Fighting, 
  but when there are a lot of them, the Gang Up bonus can bring 
  a Parry of 10 down to 6. Yes, the goblins still need a 6 to hit, 
  but it’s much easier to get than a 10. Goblins also have a d8 
  Shooting, so they’d sensibly start with a missile volley before 
  launching into melee.
  Remember as well, that Wild Cards are the great equalizer 
  in Savage Worlds. A goblin may die pitifully quickly, but a Goblin 
  Chieftain can easily be a match for a hero. Every tribe is likely 
  to have its elite warriors, who could also be Wild Cards.
  So the Legendary character has been hit, but can he survive 
  every blow? Let’s go back to our uber-tough fighter. He’s got a 
  d12 Vigor and +3 plate armor, giving him a Toughness of 14. 
  Wow, that’ pretty high, but Called Shot can ignore Armor (back 
  to Toughness 8) and dice Ace remember. I’ve seen 22 rolled on 
  a d4 at my own table, and I’ve heard of sessions where damage 
  of 30+ has been rolled. No, it isn’t common, but neither should 
  Legendary characters drop like flies. They’re not gods, but they 
  are heroes.
  Speaking of damage, what’s the best damage our uber-hero 
  can deliver? Strength d12 and a great sword (+4) gives him 
  d12+4, maybe +6 with magic. High, but not high enough to 
  trouble the average dragon or giant without an Ace. Even a troll 
  has Toughness 10, so it’s not guaranteed to die in one hit, even 
  as an Extra.
  It’s also very important to remember that these high 
  numbers are for a dedicated fighter reaching his peak. Mages 
  and thief types probably won’t have high Parry or Toughness 
  (at least not at these levels).
  What about Edges? A hero with Improved Sweep can kill a 
  lot of foes in a single blow, but only if they’re close enough to 
  attack him. A few monsters with Reach weapons can quickly 
  make that Edge useless. Compared to some other fantasy games, 
  a Legendary hero doesn’t get a huge number of attacks either. 
  At most he’ll get three if he has two weapons (with or without 
  Ambidextrous and Two Fisted) and Frenzy. Even a common 
  lion gets two.
  Some high level characters may be able to take on a 
  dragon in single combat, but that’s not something to avoid—
  that’s the stuff legends are made of. Would Beowulf have been 
  as dramatic if the dragon was killed by Beowulf and his equally 
  tough allies? Of course it wouldn’t. The average Legendary 
  character, and even our fighter, will probably think twice about 
  going toe-to-claw with a dragon, and in that respect he’s no 
  different to a Novice character.
  Notes on Other Genres
  All these high numbers for Parry and Toughness are usually 
  only found in fantasy games. A Tour of Darkness Legendary 
  character isn’t going to have much Armor, and a 2d8 bullet 
  against Toughness 8 makes him almost as easy to kill as the 
  Life Begins at Legendary: the road Less traveLLed
  Whispers from the pit
  
  Novice next to him. Who cares if he has a Parry of 10, it won’t 
  stop that bullet or grenade. 
  Sci-fi games may have Power Armor with Armor ratings of 
  +10 or higher, but most weapons probably have an AP rating 
  as well.
  Who cares if your horror hero has Parry of 10? When he 
  fails that Guts roll at -4 he’s no better off than a Novice. And if a 
  dark god materializes, well, the hero gets to stay alive for a few 
  more rounds.
  Naturally some genres work well at Legendary status. 
  Pulp heroes reaching this level are now equal to Indiana Jones 
  or Doc Savage. Sure, bullets still kill them, but now they can 
  tackle hoards of Nazi or hostile tribesmen and get away with it. 
  Superhero settings can work well at this level as well, especially 
  for small groups. A high Toughness here means the heroes can 
  get smacked into next week, fly across a street and through a 
  building, and still get up to carry on, just like the comics.
  Magic
  So we’ve taken a look at combat. Let’s examine the arcane 
  arts.
  At the core of all magic lie Power Points. A mage or cleric 
  starts with 10 and can gain another 25, if he takes Power Points 
  as his first Legendary Edge. Thirty-five Power Points may sound 
  a lot, but that can quickly get chipped away in a few brief 
  combats. Launch a dozen or more goblins en masse, and the 
  mage might drop a 6 point blast, instantly removing almost one-
  sixth of his Power Points. A few castings of armor, smite, and 
  healing eats away his pool even quicker. Yes, he can recharge 
  them, but even at 1 PP per 15 minutes, it still takes a finite time. 
  The monsters aren’t likely to give him that luxury.
  As for powers, there are 31 listed in the core rules alone—
  a setting may add another half dozen to that list. A mage 
  starts with just 3 powers, and with 16 advancements to reach 
  Legendary, he probably won’t pick up more than a dozen at the 
  very most, not if he wants to increase his attributes, skills, and 
  other Edges as well.
  Don’t forget that even a spellcaster with a d12 arcane skill 
  can be stymied by Arcane Resistance and Improved Arcane 
  Resistance.
  Magic also works against the heroes, of course. For 6 
  Power Points, a lowly goblin shaman can probably fire at least 
  two volleys of three 3d6 bolts. That’s gonna hurt, whatever 
  Rank you are. If the shaman needs a better chance of hitting, 
  he can use boost spellcasting to get a +1, maybe +2, bonus. 
  Don’t forget, this guy is just a lowly Extra as well. Make him a 
  Wild Card and he gets more dangerous as he has his Wild Die 
  to help him (and probably more Power Points and maybe even 
  the Wizard Edge).
  Puppet can reduce a Legendary fighter to a statue or, if he 
  fails a second roll, an enemy. Now let’s see how the players like 
  the combat monsters they’ve created. Smite combined with 
  boost strength or boost fighting can make even a basic orc 
  deadly. An invisible orc could deliver several blows (more with 
  quickness) before he is Noticed, and may even get the Drop on 
  his first attack.
  Responsibility
  With great power comes great responsibility, or so they 
  say. Legendary characters shouldn’t be swords for hire or 
  wanderlust adventurers looking for dungeons to cleanse, they 
  should be movers and shakers. A fighter may run a mercenary 
  company or command a castle, a cleric may be head of the 
  church in his region, a wizard run a college, and a thief may 
  run the city guild.
  Sometimes these lofty titles are handed out to the characters 
  (such as a cleric working his way up the ranks) and sometimes 
  they “buy” them with Edges. What, there’s no Legendary Edge 
  for running a faith or commanding a castle? Of course there is, 
  you just haven’t invented it yet. The sample Legendary Edges 
  are just that. Want the character to run an interstellar mercantile 
  firm, command an entire faith, own a castle, or be appointed 
  general of the army? Create a Legendary Edge.
  Maybe the hero has to buy Followers to represent his core 
  supporters, but he may also get some minions for free. Let’s 
  say our uber fighter gets hold of a castle. Does he need to buy 
  Followers for his 10 knights and 50 men-at-arms? If he did, he’d 
  have to take 12 Follower Edges. Instead, maybe Followers gets 
  him 5 knights (all loyal men) and taking the Edge to own the 
  castle nets him 50 poor quality men-at-arms. Now if Joe Knight 
  wants to gain better troops, he can buy Followers to upgrade 
  his men-at-arms to sergeants, or even knights. Heck, maybe he 
  can spend some of that hard earned cash buying new troops.
  And let’s take a quick look at money. Many fantasy games 
  have a lot of cash floating round. What does a Legendary 
  character do with it? He builds a castle, a monastery, a cathedral, 
  he pays to maintain said structure, to feed the mouths who 
  follow him, and such like. Don’t think of it as a waste of 
  money—think of it as an investment in the campaign you’re 
  playing in. Maybe when you do retire, your new Novice can be 
  a knight serving your old character or a cleric serving under 
  someone else’s high priest.
  Not every player likes political games, but at Legendary 
  status they can’t really avoid them (unless you really do want 
  nothing more than a weekly dungeon bash). A knight with a 
  castle may be involved in courtly politics. Perhaps the current 
  king is weak and the kingdom is collapsing, so courtiers seek 
  supporters for a coup (or to stop one). Maybe the knight’s rival 
  wants him removed and begins a campaign against him at court. 
  Our hero now has to travel to court and defend himself with 
  Persuasion rolls…better hope not every level-up was spent 
  on Combat Edges. Rival guilds, faiths, businesses, or colleges 
  may try to muscle in on the character’s action, forcing him to 
  
  confront them or lose everything he has worked for.
  Legendary status characters with responsibility are also 
  walking campaigns. If Joe Knight wants to launch a crusade 
  against the orcs in the hills, you’ve got a complete campaign 
  arc ready to work with. If he doesn’t, then maybe the orcs make 
  the fi rst move and invade his lands. Now Joe Knight has to raise 
  his army, mobilize the peasants (which could be a pain if he 
  failed to get his Persuasion above a d4), and lead them in war 
  (time to dust off the Leadership Edges). What does our hero 
  do when his merchant ships begin vanishing? Can he afford to 
  simply replace them, or does he get off his butt and go solve 
  the problem?
  Remember, having a good Fighting skill doesn’t make you 
  powerful. True power comes from social status and the people 
  who follow you. A lone swordsman may be remembered as a 
  mighty hero, but the deeds of a leader usually live longer.
  If the players don’t want this responsibility, or you don’t 
  want to give them this true power, then it probably is time to 
  hang up the characters, but they and you are missing out on 
  the real fun of roleplaying. The heroes have earned the right to 
  shape the world with their actions, or even their words, and 
  this is the time to sit back and let them shape your campaign.
  Things to Do
  So what does a Legendary character do to amuse himself? 
  Pretty much the same as he did at lower Ranks, but on a 
  grander scale. Legendary characters don’t wipe out a dungeon 
  full of orcs, they act to eradicate entire tribes. They don’t kill 
  the undead in the local graveyard, they head straight for the 
  liche’s tower.
  Final Advice
  If you plan on sticking with a setting for sometime, whether 
  homebrew or published, think about Legendary status when 
  the game begins. Don’t worry about what Edges you’ll take 
  later in life, that’s just a game mechanic. Think about where 
  you want your character to be at that time in terms of world 
  power and tell your GM. If he’s any good, and your idea is cool, 
  he’ll shape his campaign to make that happen. You’ll have to 
  work at it (don’t expect a free ride), but the goal should be 
  attainable.
  And fi nally, a lone goblin with a lucky die roll can kill the 
  most powerful min-maxed Legendary hero in an instant, and 
  for me, that’s part of the beauty of Savage Worlds.
  Wiggy
  got an idea for another WhisPers 
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/_Misc/Whispers from the Pit/Whispers from the Pit #01 - Life Begins at Legendary.pdf