Skills represent learned abilities, how to use Abilities more efficiently. A character can have a maximum of four Skills for each ability. The complete list of Skills is presented in the Marvel Super Heroes Game Book.

• Normal Skills cost 1 pt. each and reduce the difficulty of performing actions involving the Skill by one level.
• Master-Class Skills cost 4 pts. each. In addition to reducing difficulty, two suits of cards are trump when using the Skill, either Strength and Agility or Intellect and Willpower. Master-class characters are among greatest experts in their fields.
• World-Class Skills cost 8 pts. each. In addition to reducing difficulty, any card played on the Skill counts as trump, except for Doom cards. A world-class character is among the top five people in that Skill in the world.

At the cost of 1 pt. a character can be a genius in a particular area of skill. The character must have an ability code of A for that ability and codes of X for all other abilities. The character can then have any number of skills for that one ability. For example, a character might be a genius in Intellect skills, having an A code in Intellect and an X code in all other abilities. The character can have any number of Intellect skills, but cannot have skills based on any other ability.

Option: Graded Skills

The default assumption in SAGA is that Skills always reduce the difficulty of an action by one level. If desired, Narrators can allow for multi-level Skills that reduce difficulties by more than one level (although never to less than automatic). In this case, Skills cost 1 pt. per level. It is recommended that Graded Skills be limited to no more than three levels, and that they not be allowed to reduce the Opposition Ability of the action. So a level 2 Skill would change an average Strength (Strength) action to an automatic action, but it wouldn't reduce the value of the opposing Strength ability.

Option: Finely-Graded Skills

The Narrator may permit players to buy Skills that reduce difficulties by a variable amount rather than 4 points (one difficulty level). For example a character may have Acrobatics (2), which reduces the difficulty of Acrobatics actions by 2 points, and Observation (5), which reduces the difficulty of Observation actions by 5 points. In this case, Skills cost 1 pt. per 4 points of difficulty reduction, and players may divide up their Skill points however they wish. This option does add a degree of complexity to Skill use and resolution, however.

Option: Perception Skills

The standard Marvel rules place perception-based Skills like Observation under the Willpower Ability and perception-based powers like Enhanced Senses are likewise Willpower-based. If the Narrator prefers these Skills and abilities can be based on the Intellect Ability instead (or the Intellect sub-ability of Perception).

Option: Skillmaster

If a character has a minimum score of 8A in all abilities, and does not have any Powers, except from equipment, he can be a Skillmaster at the cost of 1 pt. This allows the character to have any number of skills, although he must have at least four skills per ability (to meet the ability code requirement). Skills are purchased normally.

Option: Talents

Narrators can differentiate between Skills (learned abilities) and Talents (inherent knacks or abilities). In this case, characters may have up to four Skills and four Talents per Ability (or the Narrator may choose to limit heroes to a combinations of no more than four Skills/Talents per Ability). Talents cost 1 pt. each and can only be Master- or World-Class if they require an action. Some sample Talents are described here. Narrators may wish to expand this list in games focusing on characters without Powers.

Strength Talents

Hyper-Breath and Sonic Slam from the Marvel Game Book.

Immunity: You are Invulnerable to the effects of one specific poison or disease.

Longevity: You are extremely long lived, but do not show any appreciable signs of aging. No matter how old you are, you always look and feel like a person half your age.

Agility Talents

Contingent Attack, Fast Exit, and Ricochet from the Marvel Game Book.

Ambidexterity: You can use tools and weapons with either hand at no penalty (normally +1 level of difficulty for using off-hand).

Blind Fighting: You can counterattack in hand to hand combat with no negative modifiers for being unable to see your opponent, provided they attack you first.

Double Jointed: You can bend your limbs and joints far more than most people. You can fit into any space equal to half your height and width and actions involving flexibility (like Escape Artistry) are one level easier for you.

Intellect Talents

Photographic Memory and Scientific Genius from the Marvel Game Book.

Common Sense: You always look before you leap; the Narrator must give you warning whenever you're about to do something particularly foolish, even if there are no perceptible clues present. He doesn't have to specify the danger, just that "this might not be a smart idea..."

Direction Sense: You are never lost, always know where north is, and can orient yourself easily without any external cues.

Intuition: You have an uncanny feel for hunches; the Narrator can have you make an Intellect action whenever he thinks you might get a hunch, even if there are no perceptible clues present.

Lightning Calculator: You can do complex mathematical operations in your head without using any aids.

Night Vision: You can see normally in all but absolute darkness.

Perfect Pitch: You always know if something's in tune, and all musically related actions are one level easier for you.

Speed Reader: You can read one page of any normal text in three seconds (you can read a 200 page book in 10 minutes).

Time Sense: You always know what time it is, and how much time has elapsed between the present and the last time you checked.

Willpower Talents

Trance from the Marvel Game Book.

Animal Empathy: Animals like you; they will never harm or attack you unless severely provoked. You always seem to attract whatever animals are common to the area, and they will immediately gravitate to your side, although they may not necessarily do what you ask them to. Actions involving animals are one level easier for you.

Beautiful: You are very good looking; people stop and stare at you when you pass, and you are generally surrounded by admirers. Willpower actions involving your looks are one level easier for you.

Light Sleeper: You wake instantly from even the lightest touch or smallest sound (no action required).

Option: Unlimited Skills

Characters are normally limited to a maximum of four Skills per Ability. You can choose to waive this limitation, allowing characters to have as many Skills as they can afford. However, the Narrator must keep a careful eye on Skill choices to keep characters with lots of Skills from making the game less fun for everyone else. This option effectively replaces the Genius and Skillmaster options above.