THE CRAWLER'S COMPANIONpatch notes for the apocalypse

Carl

also known as Crawler #4,122

27-year-old former US Coast Guard, now designated Crawler #4,122. Narrator.

CrawlerRoyal Bodyguard

Level

5B1C10

3B1C8

2B1C5

1B1C2

Physical

Build:

6'3", about 230 pounds, naturally muscular and gym-maintained. Linebacker father, 5'10" mother.B1C3

Location

The floor 1 tunnels outside the safe room, working toward a sealed door marked with an old health-department noticeB1C10

The floor 1 safe room, a converted fast food restaurant; rented a room for the price of nothingB1C9

A safe room deep in the floor 1 warrens, next door to a probable Scatterer nestB1C8

Inside the Tutorial Guild safe room with MordecaiB1C3

The World Dungeon, floor 1 tunnels near the entrance stairsB1C2

The ruins of his Seattle block, outside his flattened apartment buildingB1C1

Objective

Hole up at the safe room for a couple of days, clear the suspected Scatterer nest next door for experience, and wait for the stairs down to floor 2 to appear. Also, still: pantsB1C9

Sleep off the Fatigued condition, set up a base, and do something spectacular within 29 hours, before the premiere airs. Also: pantsB1C8

Leave the guild and survive floor 1, now as bodyguard to a cat with a death-clause crownB1C7

Finish the tutorial, open the boxes, and figure out how to be interesting enough on camera to surviveB1C4

Complete the tutorial, get the interface unlocked, and acquire literally any shoes and pantsB1C3

Reach the real Tutorial Guild and get through its door aliveB1C2

Get out of the cold before hypothermia does what the apocalypse couldn'tB1C1

History by chapter
Book 1
Chapter 1
  • LOCATION Location: The ruins of his Seattle block, outside his flattened apartment building
  • OBJECTIVE Objective: Get out of the cold before hypothermia does what the apocalypse couldn't
Chapter 2
  • LEVEL Level: 1 (stat points assigned from his physical and mental profile; values not yet shown)
  • LOCATION Location: The World Dungeon, floor 1 tunnels near the entrance stairs
  • OBJECTIVE Objective: Reach the real Tutorial Guild and get through its door alive
  • TAG Crawler: Registered as Crawler #4,122
Chapter 3
  • PHYSICAL Build: 6'3", about 230 pounds, naturally muscular and gym-maintained. Linebacker father, 5'10" mother.
  • LOCATION Location: Inside the Tutorial Guild safe room with Mordecai
  • OBJECTIVE Objective: Complete the tutorial, get the interface unlocked, and acquire literally any shoes and pants
Chapter 4
  • OBJECTIVE Objective: Finish the tutorial, open the boxes, and figure out how to be interesting enough on camera to survive
  • SPELL Heal: Restores about 20% of health for 2 mana; hotlist slot one (Granted in the tutorial; his first and only spell)
  • SKILL Swimming: Rated on arrival (Innate; the Coast Guard again)
  • SKILL Basic Electrical Repair: The day job, rated; his best pre-dungeon number (Innate)
  • SKILL Unarmed Combat: Hand-to-hand, as rated by the dungeon on arrival (Innate; the Coast Guard trains more than people think)
  • STAT Charisma: 4
  • STAT Dexterity: 5
  • STAT Constitution: 5
  • STAT Intelligence: 3 (to his considerable irritation)
  • STAT Strength: 6 (typical adult human averages 3 to 5)
  • STAT Mana: 3 points, refilling about one per hour (tied to intelligence)
Chapter 5
  • LEVEL Level: 2 (three stat points banked, unspendable until class selection on floor 3)
  • SKILL Pugilism: Beating the shit out of opponents with closed fists; +25% bare-knuckle damage per level (Innate, leveled by use)
Chapter 6
  • STAT Strength: 9 (+3 from the toe ring; nearly the human ceiling)
  • STAT Constitution: 9 (+4 from the cloak)
  • SKILL Regeneration: Near-full recovery about two minutes after taking damage (All 7 from the Trollskin Shirt)
  • SKILL Powerful Strike: Multiplies bare-handed damage by its level (All 3 from the Toe Ring of the Splatter Skunk)
  • SKILL Frogger (1981 Cabinet): A basement childhood, immortalized at rank 8 (Innate; hidden behind the dungeon-useless filter)
Chapter 7
  • OBJECTIVE Objective: Leave the guild and survive floor 1, now as bodyguard to a cat with a death-clause crown
  • TAG Royal Bodyguard: Title assigned by his party leader; the system made it official
Chapter 8
  • SKILL Smush: Bare-foot kill pressure, +10% per level; the description audibly breathes (Innate, apparently)
  • OBJECTIVE Objective: Sleep off the Fatigued condition, set up a base, and do something spectacular within 29 hours, before the premiere airs. Also: pants
  • LOCATION Location: A safe room deep in the floor 1 warrens, next door to a probable Scatterer nest
  • SKILL Foot Soldier: Increases kick damage (Innate; level not yet shown)
  • LEVEL Level: 3 (six stat points banked for class selection)
Chapter 9
  • LOCATION Location: The floor 1 safe room, a converted fast food restaurant; rented a room for the price of nothing
  • OBJECTIVE Objective: Hole up at the safe room for a couple of days, clear the suspected Scatterer nest next door for experience, and wait for the stairs down to floor 2 to appear. Also, still: pants
  • STAT Constitution: 10 (+1 from a Silver Ring, on top of the cloak's +4)
Chapter 10
  • SKILL Smush: Bare-foot kill pressure, +10% per level; the description audibly breathes (Innate, apparently)
  • SKILL Foot Soldier: Increases kick damage (Innate; level finally shown)
  • SKILL Unarmed Combat: Hand-to-hand, as rated by the dungeon on arrival (Innate; the Coast Guard trains more than people think)
  • SKILL Pugilism: Beating the shit out of opponents with closed fists; +25% bare-knuckle damage per level (Innate, leveled by use)
  • LEVEL Level: 5 (Two levels this chapter; three stat points banked per level, still nothing to spend them on)
  • LOCATION Location: The floor 1 tunnels outside the safe room, working toward a sealed door marked with an old health-department notice

Notable quotes

“The transformation occurred at approximately 2:23 AM, Pacific Standard Time.”

Book 1, Chapter 1 (The opening line of the series, Carl narrating the moment everything ended.)

“Donut! Come on you little shit!”

Book 1, Chapter 1 (Carl, arms out in the freezing cold, trying to coax Donut down from the tree moments before the transformation.)

“You are a fucking asshole.”

Book 1, Chapter 10 (Carl, immediately after the item description for the Goblin Dynamite fakes him out with a shouted BOOM.)