Beyond musical or thematic cues, Malevolent contains special sound effects only meant to be audible to listeners. These sound effects were triggered by moments in the story more resembling a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) such as the use of a power earned through a vote.
Dice Rolls[]
The distinct sound of dice rolling means, because of a skill Arthur has gained through consistent Patreon voices, he noticed something he wouldn’t have before.
In Patreon-exclusive chapter releases, the voice of an Unknown Entity speaks directly to Patrons to provide commentary or context for the voting portions of the podcast. In Chapter Five, the last chapter of Part 1: The Dark World, this Unknown Entity explains the sound of dice rolling.
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(A clicking noise, followed by static.)
UNKNOWN ENTITY: An actual decision is made this time. Well done. Rather than head back to the office, you’ve decided to move forward with the investigation. Risky, but ultimately, the only way forward to make progress. Sheepish this is not, so I will once again call you investigators. By my count, that means three choices made, all with an investigative mindset. With Eddie, you chose investigation over childishness and, again, over impulsiveness when faced with the choice of heading to the house directly before doing research at the bookstore. Making a choice isn’t always about right and wrong, but building on what Arthur becomes. From now on, you have – well, let’s call it a skill.
Three choices in similar fashion have given you insight into the investigative mindset, and thus a new skill for you to use. When you hear this sound… (Dice rolls.) It means, because of a skill you’ve gained, you’ve noticed something you wouldn’t have before. For those keeping track, through the choices you’ve made, you have three points into your investigation and one into sheepish.
Don’t let the titles fool you, any skill gained has its advantages. And maybe more advantageous to make three like-minded choices taking a skill than to choose the easier option. And here you thought this would be easy. Talk soon.
(A click, and the static ends. The scene resumes.)
Dice rolls were phased out of the show once it became difficult to decide when they were applicable, intensified the gamification of the story too much, and became hard to keep track of. A character sheet was originally planned, but never implemented, due to a greater focus on telling a compelling story without the distraction.[2][3]
Dice Rolls in Order (Table)[]
| Season | Part | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1: The Dark World | Reveals more in the basement at 58 Pelican Lane. |
| 2: The Missing Girl | Reveals footprints on the ground and blood on the seat of the car. | |
| 3: The Mansion | Reveals what was in the burnt pile of debris outside of the mansion. | |
| Reveals more about the woman's body in the bed. | ||
| Reveals more about what the Wraith may want. | ||
| Reveals the absence of a necklace on the woman's body in bed. | ||
| Reveals the woman's body in bed was clutching a small metal portrait. | ||
| Allows the Entity to read the words on the typewriter. | ||
| Reveals a birth certificate on the desk. | ||
| 4: The Voices | Reveals that Kellin is carrying a rifle. | |
| 5: The Gift | Reveals money in the lining of a hat. | |
| 6: The Hill | Reveals a riddle written inside of a book. | |
| 7: The Island | Reveals a floorboard that can be pulled up. | |
| Allows Arthur and John to discover a hatch in the floor. | ||
| 8: The Caves | Reveals symbols beneath the lighthouse. | |
| Allows Arthur and John to discover sketches beneath the lighthouse. | ||
| 10: The Hotel | Allows John to notice the hotel in the distance. | |
| Allows John to spot tomato soup in the hotel kitchen. | ||
| 11: The Sect | Allows John to discover the business card of a cultist. | |
| Allows John to discover the wallet and identification of a cultist. | ||
| 2 | 14: The Desert | Allows John to discover a suitcase in the Dreamlands. |
Coin Flips[]
The sound of a coin flipping is used to indicate that Arthur is falling to manipulation due to gaining a 'kindness' attribute through votes.
In Patreon-exclusive chapter releases, the voice of an Unknown Entity speaks directly to Patrons to provide commentary or context for the voting portions of the podcast. In Chapter 17, Part Four: The Voices, the Unknown Entity introduces the coin flip sound effect.
(A clicking noise, followed by static.)
UNKNOWN ENTITY: Returning the child was a kindness that came full circle. Your choices have been, for the most part, exactly that: Kind. After all, you chose to spare the wraith, to help the child, and not to fire at Eddie. Were these choices right? It seems so. But only because you are witness to a path you take. We do not get to see what could have been.
Regardless, another kindness has washed over Arthur, and instead of hiding in the back of the truck, you’ve chosen to talk to the driver. You have a soft spot, and it can be exploited. From here on out when you hear this sound:
(A coin flips, bouncing onto a surface and rolling before falling.)
UNKNOWN ENTITY: It means because of your kindness, Arthur can be manipulated. There’s a fine line between kindness and weakness. Learn to walk it better.
(A click, and the static ends. The scene resumes.)
The only coin toss sound effect used in the show during Part 4: The Voices, resulted in Arthur following Kellin Holeman down into his basement. Although there is no confirmation of this, it's reasonable to assume the coin toss sound effect was discontinued for the same reasons as the dice rolls.