Carl
Overview
Carl is the primary protagonist of Dungeon Crawler Carl. A former US Coast Guard marine technician from Seattle, he entered the dungeon with Princess Donut and has become one of the most-watched crawlers in the Earth season. By the end of Floor 11, he is a Primal Human, Compensated Anarchist, ranked #2 on the final Floor 10 leaderboard with 19 surviving crawlers in a single party entering Floor 12.
First Appearance
Book 1, Chapter 1
Known Aliases
- Crawler #4,122
- Royal Bodyguard of Princess Donut (informal)
- Compensated Anarchist
Description
- Age: 27 at the time of the Transformation
- Height: 6'3"
- Weight: approximately 230 pounds, naturally muscular
- Former US Coast Guard marine technician (MK rating)
- Smokes Marlboro Reds; carries a Zippo lighter
- Race: Primal Human (selected Floor 3)
- Class: Compensated Anarchist (selected Floor 3)
Role in the Story So Far
Carl survived the Transformation — he was outdoors in boxers and a leather jacket retrieving Donut from a tree — and entered the dungeon as one of the first 5,000 crawlers. On Floor 3 he chose the Primal Human race and Compensated Anarchist class, gaining the Primal Roar ability and skills suited to explosives and anti-authority tactics.
On Floor 4 (The Iron Tangle) Carl orchestrated a massive rescue operation using interdiction portal carts from Station 75, saving approximately 1,400 crawlers. He defeated Gore-Gore and Levi the 7th, detonated the Doomsday Nuke at Station 433, accidentally teleported the Mimic Rex, and added his own notes to the Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (creating the 25th Edition — a personal promise to "break them all"). He reached Level 41 by the end of Floor 4 and was ranked #3 on the leaderboard.
On Floor 5 (Book 4), Carl rose from Level 41 to Level 47. Key events: he acquired the Anarchist's Battle Rattle jacket and new gear; received the Extinction Sigil tattoo; became an Acolyte of the fire god Emberus and received Sun Tattoos on both hands; ripped off Quan Ch's arm in Chapter 32; and was instrumental in protecting the juvenile god Orthrus from bounty hunters. His PR agent Loita was killed in Chapters 18–19 in an incident ruled an accident; Zev was reassigned as his temporary replacement. By the end of Floor 5, Carl ranked #1 on the crawler leaderboard. He made a personal vow to hunt every bounty hunter who targets him on the sixth floor.
On Floor 6 (Book 5), Carl led the liberation of Fort Freedom, defeated the borough boss Claude Sludgington IV, and survived the Butcher's Masquerade cage fight. He entered the Floor 7 transition chamber in the pole position but was skipped past Floor 7 entirely due to Prepotente's actions.
On Floor 8 (Book 6), Carl and Donut started in Havana, Cuba at El Capitolio Nacional. Carl was ranked #3 on the leaderboard with a 2 million gold bounty. He received the Scavenger's Daughter divine patch (from the Floor 6 legendary boss kill reward), which added a Soul Reaper mechanic and a one-use Mysterious Bone Key to his jacket. He managed Donut's T'Ghee card deck, cleared the Colón Cemetery Ghommid settlement (Pueblo de los Olvidados), and discovered his dying biological father's location through a Residual encounter in an Iowa trailer (Chapter 45). In a Cuba homeless shelter encounter, he found a pre-written Syndicate Standard message on the wall (Chapter 50). He killed Quan Ch in Chapter 60 using totems Golden Uzi Jesus and Asojano, looting an enormous inventory including Velma the Flame Thrower, a boomerang bowler hat, 5 million gold, and Quan's full collection of weapons. Carl also discovered he has a half-brother named Asher. He talked the dungeon AI into disabling its safety protections, triggering the Floor 8 escape and setting up the Floor 9 Faction Wars.
Known Relationships
- Princess Donut — companion and combat partner
- Katia Grim — party member and ally
- Mordecai — former crawler serving as guide and advisor
- Zev — PR agent (current, reinstated after Loita's death)
- Loita — PR agent who replaced Zev; killed on Floor 5
- Beatrice — ex-girlfriend; believed dead
- Odette — media contact and advisor
- Prince Maestro — antagonist; confirmed crawler inside the dungeon
- Daniel Bautista — ally
- Imani C. — ally
- Elle McGibbons — ally
- Emberus — patron deity (Acolyte bond, Floor 5; faith abandoned end of Floor 11)
- Beatrice — ex-girlfriend; appeared Floor 10 between-floors as legal antagonist
- Penelope 3 — unwilling pig companion; used as bait in arena
- Sexy Scolopendra — party member (transformed Dungeon Boss)
- Rend — inherited pet (Tserendolgor's former meatball)
Loadout by Floor
End of Floor 4
See the Book 3 wiki version for the full Floor 4 loadout.
End of Floor 5
Equipped Gear
| Item | Slot | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enchanted Anarchist's Battle Rattle | Chest/Jacket | +1 to all stats; patch system for additional bonuses; acquired Floor 5 |
| Earth Upgrade Patch | Jacket patch | Applied to the Battle Rattle for additional bonus |
| Drakea's Enchanted Kerchief of Disorder | Head/Bandana | +5 Detect Traps; grants Tripper spell and Remote Detonator benefit |
| Enchanted Nightgaunt Cloak | Cloak | +2 Dex, +1 Con; shadow camouflage; carried from Floor 4 |
| Enchanted Trollskin Shirt of the Forsaken | Under-chest | +4 Con, poison resistance, damage reflection; worn under jacket |
| Enchanted War Gauntlet of Grull | Hand | +2 Iron Punch; accumulates charge per mantaur punch; carried from Floor 4 |
| Enchanted Spiked Kneepads of the Shade Gnoll Riot Forces | Legs | 10% damage reflect; carried from Floor 4 |
| Enchanted BigBoi Boxers | Legs | Stat bonuses; carried from Floor 4 |
| Toe Ring of the Leprous Bandit | Toe | Grants Sticky Feet ability and Super Spreader; replaced Splatter Skunk ring |
| Ring of Water Breathing | Ring | Situational use |
| Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook, 25th Ed. | Inventory | Carl's annotated edition; contains hidden Escape Plan text |
| Map of the Stars | Inventory | Adds boss locations to map; looted from Mimic Rex |
Tattoos
| Tattoo | Location | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Tattoos of Emberus | Both hands | Mark of Acolyte status; received Floor 5, Chapter 31 |
| Extinction Sigil | Below left eye | Received Floor 5, Chapter 2 |
| Goblin Pass | Forearm | Removes goblin hostility |
| Desperado Club Pass | Unknown | Access to Desperado Club between-floor lounge |
| Club Vanquisher | Unknown | Club Vanquisher membership |
Notable Skills (end of Floor 5)
| Skill | Notes |
|---|---|
| Escape Plan | Reveals hidden exits and hidden text; unlocked Doomsday Scenario |
| Explosives Handling | Core class skill; reached Level 11 by Floor 4 |
| Find Crawler | Locates named crawlers |
| Walk in Their Shoes | Empathy/social skill |
| Primal Roar | Racial ability; fear/intimidation AoE |
| Tripper | Granted by Drakea's Kerchief |
Level and Status
- Level 47 at end of Floor 5
- Race: Primal Human
- Class: Compensated Anarchist
- Leaderboard: #1
End of Floor 8
New Gear (Book 6 additions)
| Item | Slot | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Scavenger's Daughter | Jacket back patch | Divine; fleeting; unique. +25 Dex, +25 Str, Soul Reaper, Mysterious Bone Key, deity proximity notification |
| Nipple Ring of the Defiler | Ring | Divine item; grants Black Nimbus spell; acquired Floor 8 |
| Right Back Atcha bracer | Bracer | Reflects projectiles back at attacker |
| Peace symbol patch | Jacket patch | Applied to the Battle Rattle |
| Prison Tattoo Kit | Inventory | Allows creation of crude magical tattoos |
| Doctor Ratchet's Kit | Inventory | Medical kit with dungeon-appropriate tools |
| Filthy Little Crawler's Book of Voodoo | Inventory | Communication item; received from Gold Prepotente Box |
Notable Skills (end of Floor 8)
| Skill | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Find Crawler | 5 | Upgraded from unknown to level 5 by Floor 8 |
| Find Traps | 13 | Upgraded from level 10 to 13 during Floor 8 |
| Smush | 12 | Melee/grappling skill; level 12 by end of Floor 8 |
| Tripper | Unknown | Activates all sensed traps simultaneously |
| Ping | Unknown | Sonar pulse for non-mob entities |
| Soul Reaper | — | Granted by Scavenger's Daughter; fills essence bar from melee kills |
Level and Status
- Leaderboard: #3 at Floor 8 start (2 million gold bounty)
- Race: Primal Human
- Class: Compensated Anarchist
- Half-brother Asher confirmed alive
End of Floor 9
New Items / Key Changes (Book 7)
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Containment Interface | Interface tab; received from Paulie on Christmas Morning (Floor 8). Controls device used to install dungeon AI. Has Fuse with 5 conditions (only 2 met). |
| The Waffle Maker | Thermobaric bomb, thermos-sized. 100m incinerate radius. Louis carried 50 on the Party Planner. |
| Mind Balance (toe ring skill) | From a new toe ring. Resists Shi Maria from casting spells through his body. Leveled to 9 during Floor 9. |
| Shi Maria | Spider tattoo on chest (T'Ghee card). Actively tries to cast Gloom Wraith Phase and other spells without Carl's permission. Warned him once: "Watch out, Carl." |
| Rend | Tserendolgor's inherited pet meatball. Giggles, rolls in circles, one gleaming tooth. |
Level and Status (end of Floor 9)
- Leaderboard: #1 (6,000,000 gold bounty entering Floor 9)
- Race: Primal Human
- Class: Compensated Anarchist
- Half-brother Asher confirmed alive
- Eris's laughter heard from "the river" at the end of Floor 9 — she remains inside him
End of Floor 11
Key Changes (Book 8)
| Change | Notes |
|---|---|
| Sun Tattoos → Mark of the Damned | After abandoning Emberus faith; both hand tattoos became raised, angry scars |
| Lucky Shot Patch | Four-Leaf Clover patch (single-use per floor) — used vs. Emberus in arena |
| Eye of the Bedlam Bride | Tattoo on chest (dog form: forehead) — used to freeze Mitch Fiorelli |
| Father's gun + holster | New equipment acquired for arena plan |
| Emberus Memorial Crystal | Looted from arena ground after Taranis killed Emberus |
| Tracking dart removed | "The Kyryap has claimed you" dart found in leg after battle; unknown origin |
Level and Status (end of Floor 11)
- Leaderboard: #2 (final Floor 10 leaderboard)
- Race: Primal Human
- Class: Compensated Anarchist
- No longer an Acolyte of Emberus; faith abandoned
- All crawlers united into single party
- Sexy Scolopendra added to party (unwanted)
- Penelope 3 in party (pending class selection)
Appearances
- Book 1, Chapters 1–50, Epilogue
- Book 2, all chapters
- Book 3, Chapters 1–34, Epilogue
- Book 4, all chapters
- Book 5, all chapters
- Book 6, all chapters
- Book 7, all chapters
- Book 8, all chapters