SOTDL: Chargen
Primary Trait Sets
The first things to select and rank are your primary traits. Primary traits for this game are Attributes, Distinctions, and Skills. These represent the core of your character, and one of each primary trait is used in every dice pool, making up the foundation of each action.
Attributes
Attributes represent your character's innate potential, separate and apart from training. Each character is ranked in 6 attributes:
| Charm | Endurance | Finesse | Power | Reason | Will |
Rank one (1) at 
two (2) at 
and three (3) at 
Add one (1) Attribute to your dice pool for every action
- Charm: How well you interact with people socially
- Endurance: Physical stamina
- Finesse: Agility and manual dexterity
- Power: Strength and raw physical force
- Reason: General breadth of knowledge and ability to discern and absorb information
- Will: Tenacity and strength of mind
Distinctions
Distinctions represent specific facets of your character. Each character has three distinctions and each has a changeable rank of or 
depending on whether the player feels a given distinction will help or hinder the character in a particular situation. A player who opts to use their distinction at a earns a plot point (that may be used immediately if desired).
| Birthright | Profession | Wyrd |
Add one (1) Distinction to your dice pool at either or for each action.
Birthright
Your character's birthright distinction outlines both nationality and social standing and determines your initial three (3) skill bumps.
Note: Social standing is not arbitrarily linked to in-game nationality. Each aspect (nationality and standing) is chosen individually by the player to achieve a birthright that fits their concept.
Click here to see PC Birthright Options.
Profession
Your character's profession distinction defines their role in society and the party and determines your next three (3) skill bumps.
Click here to see PC Profession Options.
Wyrd
Your character's wyrd distinction reveals the sort of magic that lingers in their bloodline and determines your final three (3) skill bumps.
Click here to see PC Wyrd Options.
Skills
Skills represent specific training your character has undergone and how good they are at particular sorts of action. All skills start out ranked as Untrained. Then your distinctions each grant you raises to certain skills - no skill may be raised above 
After that, distribute an additional nine (9) points among your skills as desired - again, no skill may be raised above
Add one (1) Skill to your dice pool for every action
- Craft: Covers all instances of making things. Forge a sword. Craft. Forge a document. Craft, etc
- Fight: Covers all instances of physically attacking another being with fists, feet, or melee weapons or touching someone who might not be willing (hugs, handshakes), etc
- Fix: Covers repairs of all kinds, from carpentry and masonry to weapons and armor, etc
- Influence: To persuade another to believe or do a thing
- Know: Used to put together information or to check existing character knowledge of a thing
- Labor: Covers general muscling/sweating/activitying, etc
- Move: To get from point A to point B. Usually in a timely manner, but also when the way is dangerous or uncertain
- Notice: Covers seeing/hearing or otherwise . . . noticing . . . something you otherwise might not. Often used as a counter to Sneak
- Perform: The use of grace, acting, dancing, playing an instrument, etc, to influence or impress an audience
- Pilot: To operate or assist in operating watercraft or gliders
- Ride/Drive: To ride a beast or operate simple land vehicles (wagons, carriages, chariots), etc
- Shoot/Throw: Covers accurately firing or throwing projectiles with tools, weapons, or by hand
- Sneak: Covers doing things unseen/heard
- Survive: Covers physical survival, usually of the elements, obtaining sustenance, and finding shelter
- Track: Following quarry by the markings and leavings of their passage
- Treat: Covers treatment of wounds, poisons, sickness, or psychological conditions
- Trick: Covers any kind of deception from lies to slight of hand, etc
Secondary Trait Sets
The next things to select are your secondary traits. Secondary traits for this game are Knacks, SFX, and Signature Assets. These represent optional specializations and resources you might be able to bring to bear on an action. Secondary traits are not automatically added to every roll, but if one or more applies to an action, it adds to the dice pool for that action.
Knacks
Knacks are player defined facets of a particular skill that they have chosen to specialize in. For example, a player with a high Fight skill might have a knack for wielding improvised weapons and get to add the die for that knack for using something that is not specifically designed to be a weapon (like a mug or a bench) as a weapon in a fight.
Knacks are only eligible to be used with the skill they are associated with. So a character with the Anatomy knack associated with their Treat skill cannot use it for an advantage when using the Fight skill (unless they also bought it for Fight).
Players begin with five (5) points to spend on knacks. Each point either buys a new knack at or steps up an existing knack one step. Untrained skills cannot have knacks, and no knack can be ranked higher than the skill it is associated with.
SFX
Signature Assets
Signature assets are permanent assets recorded on the character sheet rather than the Complications and Assets table, and as such they don't drop off at the end of a scene or a story arc.
They might represent a piece of gear or equipment or a meaningful personal contact. For this game, signature assets should not represent innate qualities or skills of the character, but always something external to the character.
Signature assets are always rated either or They may not be raised beyond that.
Each player starts the game with two (2) points to spend on signature assets. Each point either buys a new signature asset at or steps up an existing asset to
Optionally, players may opt to spend these points on additional knacks (or knack upgrades) instead of assets. The rule that no knack may be ranked higher than the skill it is associated with, (of course) still applies.
It is possible for other characters to use another's signature asset within the fiction, but when they do they do not get to add that asset's die to their pool.