She lifted the lid carefully, to no avail.

While wise in the ways of picking pockets

and seducing wealthy and foolish men,

she had no knowledge of sorcery.

Before any of us could react

her body was turned to dust.

-Caravan Leader T'lar,
escorting a token of peace to Gulg

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Unlike the basic SAGA rules, wherein each ability has only one skill that the character can know, SAGA Beneath the Dark Sun allows a character a number of skills they can know per ability, making characters both more flexible and differentiated from one another.
The player picks a limited number of skills and/or knowledges per ability from the lists in the "Skill List" section. Initially, a character is granted one skill per ability at that ability's code.
The code of these initial skills is that determined for the ability score in the character creation process detailed under the "Heroes of Athas" section.

The codes represent the maximum training available for any skill taken in that ability.  However, the player can trade a code in one ability for an increase in code in another ability on a one-for-one basis. That is, they can voluntarily reduce one skill code (from 'B' to 'C' for example) to raise another by the same amount.  Obviously, no code can be lowered below 'X'.

For each code level, there is a set action difficulty when the character attempts to utilize a skill they know. Obviously, the higher one's code, the easier time they have utilizing that skill, as the following chart details:

Skill Code	Difficulty
A	Easy (4)
B	Average (8)
C	Challenging (12)
D	Daunting (16)
X	Desperate (20)

A Code of 'C' should be considered (in general) the average code of the majority of a populace who have learned it.
Codes of 'X' and 'D', though representing below average ability and training, are provided to help differentiate characters from the norm and encourage diversity among roles and role-playing.
Note that a 'C' code taken in a skill still represents a degree of training slightly higher than that of the average untrained individual.

Note that no matter what skills are taken, a code of 'X' assigned to an ability results in the character being so poorly trained or naturally inept that they are rarely able to use even their raw ability effectively.
However, as stated previously, though they cannot trump with normal actions based on that ability, a skill with a code of 'X' allows trumps when utilizing that skill.

Though a character is initially granted only one skill per ability, they can also gain a second skill in an ability by choosing to drop one of their other initial skills, as follows:

• If the skill taken is that of the related ability to the skill dropped (Endurance and Strength are related abilities), then the character takes the skill at the code of the dropped skill
• If the skill taken is in the same category as the skill dropped (Physical and Mental are the two categories), then the character takes the skill at one code worse than the code of the dropped skill
• If the skill taken is unrelated to the skill dropped (dropping a skill from an ability in the Mental category and taking one from the Physical category), then the character takes the skill at two codes worse than the code of the dropped skill

Note, however, that the ability code maximum for that ability still limits the skill code.  Thus those codes transferred that are higher than the ability code must be reduced to the ability code.
When an ability code is improved through the gain of reputation, one skill within that ability may be improved by one code (a 'C' to a 'B') or a new skill within that ability learned at 'C' (or 'D' if the code was initially an 'X').

A player may opt to take a "Daily Edge" instead of a skill or ability increase when their reputation increases. The Daily Edge allows a player to add an extra card of a certain value or less to any action once per session.
The maximum value the extra card played may take is determined by random draw: a white aura allows any card of 9 or less, red aura allows 6 or less, black aura allows 3 or less.
Each time the Daily Edge is taken, the player can opt to either attempt to improve the Edge value or gain a second use of the Edge per session.

A player may also restrict the Edge to one specific action, either a straight ability check or a skill check, with which they can always use their Edge.  The Edge value is different in this case, however: a white aura provides a value of 4 or less, red aura provides 3, black aura provides 2.

Finally, a character's Social Status plays a large role in what (if any) extra skills they may have learned as a trade or in growing up. A slave will know few skills, a tradesman one, a noble more than a few.  Full details of the effect of Social Status on skills can be found in the "Social Status" section.

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