I was rewatching an old video from a year or so ago and got some ideas for how the trinary archetype system can affect how and where you go in the world.
Diegetic music/ sounds is something that's been mentioned for the game and several classes. Here's some things I'd like to see (or hear, rather).
- Areas with barriers against magical/ invisible creatures. Meaning you can't be in the ethereal plane to enter this area, so creatures that are normally invisible or ethereal must expose themselves to gain access.
- Arena or combat area where in your physical form is dealt constant damage from something like spirits. You're forced to go to the essential realm to prevent damage, but then must fight or run from whatever is there...
- Portals to other areas of the map only accessible through the essential realm.
- Secret walls within the world where you can pass through when you're in either the ethereal or essential realm, but you have to actively search for them.
- Restricted areas where entering any realm other than the physical realm will alert hostile undead or humans. Alternatively, you take essence damage near blessed areas/ environmental items.
- Puzzles that are combinations of above.
- Going into ethereal realm lets you see trails to magical items, creatures, or the current objective.
- Areas that are only accessible through "parkour" in any realm other than physical. So, a platform in the essential realm disappears when you shift to the physical realm. This would be interesting if essence drains slowly, or something knocks you into the physical realm if you aren't careful.
Diegetic music/ sounds is something that's been mentioned for the game and several classes. Here's some things I'd like to see (or hear, rather).
- Vampires already have the bloodlust chant. It's very cool. I like it.
- Revenants are described to have a violet fire burning within them. As such, the more damage they get, the more the fire roars. Meaning, like the blood lust chant, the sound of fire should get louder except its from receiving damage and not dealing it.
- The liche uses magick for horrible spells, tearing through flesh and mind. Spell casts should be followed by sharp, low sounds like a cello. Even a fireball should feel ominous and terrifying, with low notes increasing in speed until the spell lands. During the run in with the liche in the sunken woods, Alaric the Grand Inquisitor said he could hear whispers. That being said, using a spell that dominates an enemy or does something to affect their mind could have some quiet whispers during that time.
- A banshee feels pretty easy. They are described as singing or crying softly to themselves. So depending on the tarot card, the banshee will passively sing or cry. Of course, attacks will have screaming, speaking, sobbing, or singing. Blood-curdling screaming will be pretty important for her spooky factor.
- The wraith is a spirit bound in cloak and chains. The wraith seems to have two forms. As such, two sets of sound or music will be necessary. Not vastly different, and each can include elements of the other. The green glow that comes from a wraith is described as wraith fire, and seems only visible in the powered form. Wraithfire should then have a quiet burning effect in that form, and no sound in the other. Additionally, the music should be discordant and frightening. The stealth form should have quiet chains clinking, with some music that is detectable but hardly there, like the wraith itself.
- The ghoul is a nasty predatory creature. Described almost like an animal. I can't think of any music except maybe a drum? The ghoul can't see normally, and any other forms of "sight" in other media is denoted with drums or other muffled sound to represent things like echolocation. The sounds should be some variations of growling and hissing.
- Lastly...Wight. This class is confusing to me because I have no idea what it will actually do. If wight will let you be any combination of the above classes, maybe include a little bit of sound design from each. If wight is like frankenstein's monster, give it classic horror music? If there's any passive sounds or music at all, it should be occasional soft bell sounds, as a call back to Alaric. Also, quiet humming like the humming of the crucible. If you would describe it as a " horror build-a-bear" like @Temuldjin , slow and reverse the build-a-bear song and call it good.