Loose thoughts, odd possibilities, and things worth remembering. Nothing here needs to become part of the game.
Ask a companion in your own words
Maybe voice control could let you talk to a companion and ask open-ended questions in your own words. Natural-language processing could help the companion understand and handle those questions.
Desktop seems like a possible starting point. Voice input may suit some platforms or play situations better than others; platform support is something to explore, not a settled restriction.
A loose possibility for companion interaction. The companion, kinds of questions, responses, and technical approach are still open.
Fifty-pocket clothing
A funny, highly sought-after late-game piece of clothing with something like fifty pockets. Its ridiculous storage capacity makes it feel overpowered.
A desirable piece of gear because of what it lets you carry.
Five degrees cooler
Talking with Francis before she went for a walk: wouldn't it be nice to have a talisman in your pocket that kept you five degrees cooler?
A real-life spark that led to thinking about talismans. It does not necessarily need to become a game feature.
Princess Pickle carries your stuff
Maybe Princess Pickle comes with you and carries your bulk supplies. To get at those things, you need access to her.
A possible way to give gear and inventory a place in the story.
See a weapon's strengths at a glance
A tweet showed a bar menu with drinks positioned on a two-axis chart: something like bitter versus sweet on one axis, and fruity or another quality on the other. That seems like an interesting way to help people understand weapons, too.
It is frustrating when games communicate equipment through a pile of absolute numbers. Show a picture of where a weapon sits relative to other weapons, so its strengths and tradeoffs are easier to understand. Keep the numbers available for detail.
A two-axis plot might work for a pair of qualities. With more dimensions, maybe a radar or spider chart: a circular arrangement of axes, forming a polygon that shows the weapon's strength in each. Or there may be a better visualization. The important part is communicating visually, rather than making the player interpret a wall of stats.
The metrics are still open. Damage measures, ordinary hit damage, fire, or magic were loose examples, not a chosen set of attributes. Explore the visual comparison once we know which distinctions actually matter for our weapons.
Separated from your stuff
Maybe a stretch of the story separates you from Princess Pickle, or whatever normally gives you access to your stored gear.
Whatever is on your person is what you have to make do with until you regain access.
Talisman-like effects
I really like the way talismans work in Elden Ring: something you wear or carry for a passive effect. Could we explore that kind of behavior?
We do not have to call them talismans. The appeal is the function; the name and our version are still open.