Doug the Pug

First appearance: S1E7 — Wild Magic — Strako v Zayliss · watch it on YouTube

Doug the Pug is the Grandmaster’s pug, “the beloved dog of the arena” and, by one account, “the absolute symbol of D20 Deathmatch.” He is small, round, wheezing and visibly falling apart: an undead cyborg pug with one good eye and one metal one. From his little throne beside the Grandmaster he rolls for chaos events, blesses or bites champions as he sees fit, and makes a sport of humiliating The Arbiter, who cannot stand him. The Arbiter once died to save him anyway.

Story

Season 1

Doug was introduced in S1E7 — Wild Magic — Strako v Zayliss as a very old, sleepy pug who has “always” lived in The Dread Fortress with the Grandmaster, looked after by the fortress goblins. He has his own throne beside hers in the stands, where he eats popcorn and snacks. His health works as an omen. Some days he has no bones and simply collapses. If he stays standing when he is stacked up, it is a “bone day,” and that is good luck. He rolls dice with his mouth, and in his first outing he beat the Arbiter in four of five roll-offs. He also sprouted tiny wings and a head bubble to fly, started a game of tag in the arena, and gave the doomed Zayliss a “final snuggle.” Someone even called him “the bone daddy.”

His powers grew quickly. In S1E8 — Fireballs — Grorx v Lord Xiren, his barking, joined by the barking of the hieroglyph dogs, silenced spoken magic in the arena. He blessed Lord Xiren and spat out the die for the final chaos event, and a bones day was declared mid-match. The dragon battle royale fell on a no-bones day, but Doug still fired a “laser eye” to trigger the final change of the battlefield, and Wes Wolf commissioned a painting of him. He got so excited during S1E10 — The Bear — Diamond Joe v Milliac that he licked the fallen Milliac’s face. In later episodes he went wild for thrown dog treats and was declared “the goodest boy.”

His great moment came in the season finale, S1E14 — Eyes of Chaos — Lucien v Monteclaire. Doug went to check the front door before the attack. Then the “small undead pug” flew into the arena and held the Southern Gate alone, and he survived it.

Season 2

Season 2 settled Doug into his routine, and into his feud with the Arbiter. When Lethe and Sorry fought, the victor won the right to pet and walk him, which left him with “double the walkies.” In S2E4 — Antsy — Glub Glub v Geril-Lee, his barking echoed through the forest and magically turned both champions into beasts. In the next match he ate a dog-friendly cupcake and fetched Gordy Gotta Get Em’s emerald in his mouth. During S2E8 — Father’s Love, the Grandmaster explained that her undead dog could safely eat chocolate: “what is it gonna do, kill him again.” He hid behind the throne with the candy wrappers, and she made it official that her chaos die is “what Doug will roll.”

The Arbiter’s distaste for him only made Doug bolder. He picked Veronica to be “it” in a game of tag, sank when he landed “like he’s got a few holes in him,” barked three times to set off the tag explosion, and farted at the Arbiter, who called him a jerk. When the Arbiter bullied him, he hid under the throne, then laughed (or coughed) at the Arbiter’s terrible roll of a 1 and rolled a 12 to bail him out. By S2E11 — Secrets he was “the gem of the castle,” with a squeaky foam die and a big fluffy red pillow couch, and he rolled in place of the Arbiter whenever the Arbiter rolled badly. He was also sensitive about his height.

He moved up to his own small floating pedestal beside the throne. In S2E12 — Blood Cookies, he was ordered to roll over and responded by biting Martin Messiah Malenko, drawing the first blood of the match, before choosing to stay with the Grandmaster for a treat. He pounced on Chancy when a butterfly-shaped Buli urged him to, and he apparently “knows many dogs in the realm.” He nursed a retired lion and glowed “with ethereal ability,” his chair floating higher than the Arbiter’s head. Snoop called him a “non-dog” and a “very cute lizard.” He hates baths, and once escaped one still soapy and sat dripping by the Grandmaster, afraid to move in case he got another.

Battle for the Crown

When the Arbiter tried to seize the throne with an army of resurrected champions, Doug sat beside the Grandmaster wearing a small crown. Veronica suggested he should be Grandmaster instead. The Grandmaster said they “have considered it,” but Doug “likes to live the responsible-free life.” He licked Cosmonius’s pixie dust, and the victors of the second round stood beside him at the throne. In the final round he beat the Arbiter’s roll with a chewed squishy die. Once the coup had failed, Doug appeared in a tuxedo-like outfit with a rose and led the Arbiter on a leash.

Season 3

Doug missed the live show at GCX Orlando 2022, where the Arbiter called “our wonderful D20 Dread Fortress mascot” “a dick” and an Acolyte rolled in his place. Back home for Season 3, he sat on a fancy cushion in a collar, on a mini Grandmaster’s throne set higher than the Arbiter’s, and outrolled the disgraced Arbiter with a plush die again and again. He exchanged a respectful nod with Maximus and volunteers at Maximus’s shelter on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. He did a booty shake and was not intimidated when the Arbiter barked at him.

His powers became steadily stranger. He summoned champions by chasing his tail, rolled a natural 20 for a chaos event with his squeaky toy, and played in the kitchen pool. He also turned out to be touchy about his appearance: he is undead, but he dislikes being called a zombie dog. According to the Arbiter, Doug is “literally a cyborg zombie,” and Doug doesn’t know it. He appears whenever his name is said, rolls “when he wants to roll,” and once took Captain Fable’s bone and never gave it back. A bone-fuelled fart rocket-launched him back to his throne, and later he flew on green fart gas and left both champions one-handed for a round with his fart cloud. The monster book scared him so badly that he farted in fear and did a potty dance, and a sudden natural 20 sent him hiding behind the Grandmaster’s chair. He cried when his plush die fell in the mud. By then he looked “a little beaten and worn,” but he was still handing out blessings and inspiration.

In the Season 3 finale, Doug rode in the Grandmaster’s wings and peed on Huey Leatherface’s shoe. Then The Shadow King returned. When the Shadow King struck at Doug, the Arbiter stepped in front of the attack and died in his place. The last anyone saw of Doug, he was in chains alongside the Arbiter.

Under the Shadow King

For most of Season 4, while the Grandmaster ruled in name only, Doug was missing. She told the arena she bet he was alive somewhere. During S4E11 — Beatdown, it was noted that “Doug has not been replaced,” although there were many dogs in the fortress. In Vythorn’s Return Part 3, the truth came out. Doug was there, disguised in a goblin costume made by goblins, and the Shadow King never noticed him. Vythorn exposed the wheezing, short-snouted dog and shackled him to go with Elusia.

The Season of Fate

In the Season of Fate, the vision of rule that only the Arbiter lived through, Doug was kept shackled in the dungeons. In S5E12 — Imitation Game, he wore a sloth onesie “with no bones.” He chortled at the Lord of Fate’s baby photo and was banished for it, until the Acolytes’ “Free Doug” chant brought him back in a floating, spinning cage.

Season 6

Back in the real timeline, Doug returned to the dice. In the Ether Drifts, his collar granted pug swiftness. In the season finale, the tiny pug with one cyber eye yelled, ate the receipts, rolled his toy die, farted, and peed on the tallest thing in the arena.

Season 7

In the Season of Vigilance, Doug rides in a wagon on a purple pillow, wearing a tiny crown. In S7E2 — Under the Oil Tree, he “doesn’t have bones today,” and it was explained that he “has no bones… has been neutered.” He was a charmer with Clementine. The Arbiter admitted, “I saved his life once.” Doug’s metallic eye now scans champions with a red infrared beam, and his approval matters. In S7E3 — Chinchilla the White, where the Arbiter “doesn’t even like Doug,” he clapped on two feet for a champion he liked (“It’s a bone day today”) and ate Cheese Prof’s head.

He has his own official sanctioned cheese, offered as a prize in S7E4 — The Cheese, and twelve refrigerators of it in the fortress basement. Even so, his “desire for blood is greater than his desire for the cheese.” In the next match he hauled the arena’s new metal chairs on a rope. Nobody is allowed to insult him: “He can’t even breathe correctly.” In S7E8 — Private Bathrooms, he was caught asleep in the Arbiter’s seat and shoved out. He was back in time for popcorn after the break in S7E9 — Necro-Nightmare.

Personality and Abilities

Doug is a tiny, fat, round pug in an advanced state of undeath. His skin is falling off his face, he sinks when he lands as if he has a few holes in him, and he can’t breathe properly. He has one good eye and one cyborg eye that scans with a red infrared beam. He has worn a collar, a tiny crown, a tuxedo with a rose, a goblin costume and a sloth onesie. He is vain about his looks, touchy about his height, hates baths, and scares easily; at least once he farted in fear. He is also a ping pong ace. Whether he has bones on a given day is treated as an omen for the whole arena.

His real job is rolling. He rolls dice with his mouth or throws his squeaky green plush die, usually stepping in after the Arbiter rolls badly and usually rolling higher. Beyond that, his abilities are unpredictable. His bark has silenced spoken magic, turned champions into beasts and set off explosions. His eye fires lasers. He can fly on tiny wings, on green fart gas or by fart rocket. He grants blessings and inspiration, and he held a gate against an invasion by himself. He loves treats, cupcakes, eggs and cheese, but he loves blood more.

Relationships

Grandmaster Elusia Skypiercer: his owner, who adores him, sits him on a throne beside her own and calls him “the goodest boy.”
The Arbiter: his bitter rival, who openly dislikes him (“Fucking Doug”); Doug outrolls him, farts at him and once led him on a leash, and the Arbiter still died taking a blow meant for him.
The Shadow King: struck at Doug at the end of Season 3, then never noticed him hiding in a goblin costume.
Veronica: Doug picked her as “it” in tag, and she later nominated him for Grandmaster.
Martin Messiah Malenko: bitten by Doug, drawing first blood, after Doug was ordered to roll over.
Chancy: pounced on by Doug at Buli’s urging.
Zayliss: received a “final snuggle” from Doug.
Huey Leatherface: Doug peed on his shoe.

Memorable Quotes

“what is it gonna do, kill him again” (the Grandmaster, S2E8 — Father’s Love)
“Doug rolls when he wants to roll.” (S3E4 — Crypto Monkeys)
“One day, Doug” (the Arbiter, S3E4 — Crypto Monkeys)
“Doug has not been replaced” (S4E11 — Beatdown)
“I saved his life once.” (the Arbiter, S7E2 — Under the Oil Tree)
“He can’t even breathe correctly.” (S7E5 — Rock and a Hard Place)

tags	character
aliases	Doug, The goodest boy, The gem of the castle, The beloved dog of the arena

The Black Tome

Explorer