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Hoodoo 311 of the High John Sifter

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by

Dale
in

Lore: The High John Sifter is a small, hand-held frame made of cured hickory wood with a fine mesh of woven silver-grass and copper wire. In the history of Saṃsāra, these sifters were first developed by the root-workers who lived in the humid marshlands of the Southern Reach island countries. They believed that the world hides its best secrets under layers of common dust and that a “discerning eye” requires a physical tool to filter out the mundane. The frame is rubbed with High John the Conqueror root oil, giving it a permanent earthy and spicy scent that sharpens the avatar’s mental focus. Traditionally, a High John Sifter is used by seekers to find the exact root, coin, or component needed for a specific mojo bag, ensuring that only the most potent items are selected from a pile of rubble or a crowded market stall.

  • Tier: 1
  • Rarity: Common
  • Slot: Hand (Held) or Waist (Belt Accessory)
  • Armor Check: 0
  • Item Health Points: 30
  • Passive Magic – Root-Worker’s Discernment: While this sifter is held or worn on the belt, the avatar’s Mind’s Eye is tuned to the specific “vibration” of natural components. When looking at a collection of herbs, stones, or mundane items, the most magically potent or high-quality specimens emit a faint, shimmering violet outline. This passive effect allows the avatar to instinctively skip over dross or decayed materials, ensuring they always select the “prime” choice for their needs.
  • Passive Magic – The Conqueror’s Confidence: The hickory frame radiates a steady sense of assurance. This passive magic bolsters the avatar’s resolve when making difficult choices, ensuring they do not second-guess their selections. It provides a subtle mental clarity that filters out distracting “noise” in high-stress environments, such as a crowded shipyard or a chaotic steam-factory.
  • Activable Magic – Sift for the Secret: The avatar can focus on the mesh and perform a Normal chant, whispering a specific desire—such as “find the key” or “show the herb”—for less than six seconds. This action causes the copper wires to glow with a sharp purple light. For the next minute, any object that matches the avatar’s specific selection criteria within 10 feet will emit a soft “clinking” sound, even if it is hidden inside a container or buried in the earth.
  • Activable Magic – Filter the Foe: Once per day, during a turn-based encounter, the avatar can use an action to “sift” the immediate air in front of them while performing a Ritual chant for at least six seconds. This creates a localized, temporary barrier of woven violet energy. This barrier acts to “select” incoming projectiles or debris and slow them down, effectively granting the avatar a brief window to dodge or redirect a single incoming attack. The barrier dissipates once the Helios-down occurs or after it has successfully filtered one threat.
  • Tags: Hoodoo, Selection, Tier 1, Hand Slot, Waist Slot, Common, Root-Work, High-John, Saṃsāra, Discernment, Botanical, Root-Aura, Sifting, Hickory, Mojo-Tool, Insight, Filtered, Low-Tier, Earth-Magic, Clarity, Cured-Wood, Discernment-Focus

Acquisition and Commerce of the High John Sifter

  • The Path of Acquisition
    • In the world of Saṃsāra, a Hoodoo 311 of the High John Sifter is often acquired through lineages of practitioners rather than industrialized manufacturing. A tier 1 avatar might receive a sifter as a parting gift from a root-worker mentor in the marshy Southern Reach island countries, intended to help them select the proper ingredients for their first mojo bag. Others find these sifters tucked away in the “forgotten” corners of old family estates, often buried in trunks alongside dried roots and old iron keys. In the high-magic metropolises, an avatar might discover one in a lost-and-found bin of a botanical conservatory, misidentified as a simple garden tool. Because the hickory wood must be cured with specific oils over a full month of Sharus (the month of darkness and loss), many are obtained by commissioning a local worker during the Dimming weeks.
  • Types of Shops and Trading Hubs
    • Back-Alley Root-Doctor Stalls: These are the most authentic sources for a High John Sifter. Usually located in the humid, crowded districts of island port cities or hidden within the “low-towns” of cave megacities, these stalls are identifiable by the bundles of drying herbs hanging from steam-pipes and the heavy scent of High John oil. The shopkeeper is typically a practitioner who understands the “Selection” magic and will only sell to those they deem “discerning.”
    • General Goods Pawnshops: In more industrial areas, these sifters occasionally appear on the shelves of cluttered pawnshops, nestled between rusted steam-gauges and discarded mechanical belts. The shopkeeper here likely views the item as a mundane sieve for sorting fine gravel or mechanical filings. This is a “buyer beware” environment where an avatar with a keen Mind’s Eye can spot a magical sifter for a fraction of its true worth.
    • Botanical and Alchemical Supply Houses: In the clean, steam-heated districts of the capitals, large supply houses sell standardized tools for herb collection. While they primarily stock mass-produced brass sieves, they often keep a few “traditional” hickory sifters in the back for specialists who prefer the old ways of Hoodoo. These shops are professional, well-lit, and do not engage in the barter common in the back-alleys.
  • The Economics of the High John Sifter
    • Root-Doctor Purchase Price: 18 to 25 Silver. The price reflects the curing process and the spiritual labor involved. A practitioner may lower the price if the buyer can demonstrate a basic knowledge of root-work or provides a fresh High John the Conqueror root as partial payment.
    • Root-Doctor Selling Price: 10 to 12 Silver. A root-doctor will buy back a sifter if the mesh is intact and the hickory still retains its scent. They often “re-cure” used sifters to resell them to new students.
    • Pawnshop Purchase Price: 5 to 8 Silver. Because the shopkeeper often misidentifies the item as a mundane tool, the price is significantly lower. However, the item may be dirty or require a minor ritual cleaning to restore its full “Conqueror’s Confidence” passive.
    • Pawnshop Selling Price: 2 to 3 Silver. Pawnshop owners rarely appreciate the magical value and will pay the base price for “scrap wood and wire.”
    • Supply House Purchase Price: 35 to 45 Silver. These establishments treat the item as a “specialty vintage tool.” The price is higher due to the convenience of a clean environment and the guaranteed quality of the silver-grass mesh.
    • Supply House Selling Price: 15 Silver (Store Credit). These houses rarely deal in cash for used items, preferring to offer credit toward expensive steam-powered alchemical burners or high-tier preservation jars.

Strategic Roleplay and Environmental Application of the High John Sifter

  • Defense in Crowded Marketplaces and Urban Hubs
    • In the dense, steam-shrouded markets of a Saṃsāra island capital, the High John Sifter acts as a shield against sensory overload and deceptive trade. Roleplaying the The Conqueror’s Confidence involves the avatar holding the hickory frame close to their chest while navigating through a throng of pickpockets or aggressive hawkers. The player describes a “tunnel vision” effect where the sifter filters out the distracting noise and flashy, low-quality illusions used by scammers. This defensive posture ensures the avatar remains unswayed by social pressure, allowing them to select the safest path through a crowd or identify the one honest merchant in a sea of “buyer beware” stalls. The defense here is mental fortitude; the sifter acts as a cognitive anchor that prevents the avatar from being “sold” on a dangerous lie.
  • Offense in Mechanical Scrap-Heaps and Ruined Vaults
    • Within the rusted remains of an ancient steam-factory or a collapsed cave-vault, the offensive use of the sifter focuses on “surgical acquisition.” While the item does not strike a physical blow, the Sift for the Secret ability is roleplayed as a tactical strike against the environment’s attempt to hide its treasures. An avatar might be searching for a specific rhodium gear or a lost mechanical key needed to activate a defensive turret. By whispering a sharp, commanding “Find the heart” into the mesh, the player describes the violet light arcing out to strike the exact pile of debris where the item is hidden. The offense lies in the speed of selection; by finding the critical component in seconds rather than hours, the avatar “attacks” the clock, denying the environment time to spawn wandering threats or mechanical failures.
  • Defense in Toxic Swamps and Botanical Wilds
    • In the humid, vine-choked Southern Reach, the sifter is used defensively to ensure physical survival against the “stinging-mana” of the flora. Roleplaying the Root-Worker’s Discernment involves the avatar passing the sifter over a patch of seemingly identical berries or roots. The player describes the “violet shimmer” identifying the one non-toxic plant in a field of poisonous mimics. In this environment, the defense is preventative; the avatar uses the sifter to select only the “prime” materials that will bolster their party’s health, effectively shielding the group from the “randomness” of the wild. The roleplay emphasizes a methodical, protective pace where the sifter acts as a filter between the party and the predatory nature of the Breathing-Green.
  • Offense in Skirmishes and Turn-Based Encounters
    • During a direct physical confrontation, the Filter the Foe ability is roleplayed as an act of selective reality-warping. The avatar holds the hickory frame aloft, performing a quick Ritual chant that looks like they are “straining” the air itself. The player describes a localized plane of woven violet energy appearing between them and an opponent. This is an offensive use of “Selection,” where the avatar chooses to let the harmless air pass through while selecting the heavy momentum of an incoming arrow or a steam-bolt to be snagged in the magical mesh. This creates a tactical opening, allowing the avatar or a companion to counter-attack while the enemy’s “selected” projectile is momentarily suspended or slowed, turning the opponent’s own force against them.
  • Defensive Support in Industrial Steam-Factories
    • Inside the high-pressure environment of an active factory, the sifter is roleplayed as a defense against mechanical catastrophe. An avatar might use the sifter to “select” the one failing rivet or the single micro-crack in a steam-pipe before it leads to a lethal explosion. The roleplay emphasizes the sifter’s hum growing sharp and discordant as it passes over the structural flaw. By identifying the specific point of failure, the avatar allows the party to avoid a localized disaster, using the sifter to “filter” out the safe machinery from the imminent hazard. The presence of the sifter makes the avatar a master of environmental triage, ensuring the party only engages with stable, reliable structures.

Perception of Activation: Hoodoo 311 of the High John Sifter

  • User’s Perspective
    • The moment the avatar grips the hickory frame with intent, the wood feels as though it has suddenly “awakened,” vibrating with a low-frequency hum that travels from the palm directly into the prefrontal cortex. The scent of spicy High John oil and damp, fertile earth becomes overwhelming, effectively drowning out the metallic or stagnant smells of the surrounding environment. Visually, the avatar’s field of vision undergoes a dramatic shift; the world becomes desaturated and gray, except for items of “prime” quality or magical importance, which flare with a vibrant, violet luminescence. It feels as though a physical weight has been lifted from the eyes, replacing confusion with an almost aggressive certainty.
  • Observer’s Perspective
    • To a nearby companion, the avatar appears to become unnaturally still and focused, their eyes reflecting a faint purple glow. The copper wires of the sifter’s mesh begin to spark with tiny, silent arcs of violet electricity that weave through the silver-grass. A soft “clinking” sound, like fine glass beads falling on a metal plate, emanates from the sifter even if it is empty. The air immediately around the avatar takes on a “crisp” quality, similar to the atmosphere after a heavy lightning storm, and any loose, low-quality dust or dross on nearby surfaces is visibly repelled away from the sifter’s center as if by a magnetic force.
  • Extra-Sensory Perceptions
    • The Root-Worker’s Thread: The avatar perceives a thin, translucent “umbilical” of violet light connecting the sifter to the most valuable item in the immediate vicinity, guiding their hand with a gentle, magnetic tug.
    • Selection Echoes: In the Mind’s Eye, the avatar hears the “history” of an object as they sift near it—a faint, rhythmic drumming for a natural root, or the sound of a distant steam-whistle for a forged gear—allowing them to identify the object’s origin.
    • Filter of Truth: When looking at a sentient being through the mesh, the avatar perceives “emotional static.” If the being is lying or being deceptive, the violet light flickers and turns a muddy brown, revealing the lack of structural integrity in their words.
    • The Conqueror’s Pulse: The user feels a secondary heartbeat within the hickory frame. This pulse provides a sense of ancestral protection, making the avatar feel “larger” and more grounded, as if they are being watched over by the generations who first mastered the art of the sifter.
  • Positives of Activation
    • The primary benefit is the total elimination of “choice paralysis.” The avatar can identify the absolute best component, path, or structural point in seconds, bypassing the need for lengthy investigation rolls. In high-stakes environments, the The Conqueror’s Confidence prevents the avatar from falling victim to fear-based status effects or social intimidation. The ability to “see” through containers or earth makes the avatar an unparalleled seeker of hidden assets, turning any environment into a transparent map of potential value.
  • Negatives of Activation
    • The sensory focus is so intense that the avatar becomes partially “blind” to non-essential movement; they may fail to notice a stealthy enemy or a social cue that doesn’t fit their specific selection criteria. Prolonged use leads to “root-fatigue,” where the spicy scent of the oil begins to cause a stinging sensation in the eyes and nose. After deactivation, the sudden return of the world’s “noise” can cause a temporary headache or disorientation. Furthermore, the purple glow and the “clinking” sound are conspicuous, potentially alerting nearby hostiles to the avatar’s exact position during a stealth operation.

Ritual of the Cured Frame: Crafting Recipe for the High John Sifter

  • Materials Needed
    • One Strip of Seasoned Hickory Wood: This must be harvested from a tree that has survived a significant lightning strike or a high-pressure steam-pipe burst. The wood must be flexible enough to bend into a circle without snapping, representing the “resilience” of the Conqueror.
    • Three Ounces of High John the Conqueror Root Oil: Pressed during the Sharus month (the month of darkness). This oil is used to treat the hickory and provide the primary aromatic focus for the “Selection” magic.
    • A Spool of Woven Silver-Grass: Gathered from the marshy Southern Reach during the height of the Helios-up. This grass naturally conducts magical “vibrations” from the natural world.
    • Fine Copper Wire (Grade 1): Reclaimed from a defunct industrial steam-generator. The copper acts as a bridge between the organic silver-grass and the avatar’s own electrical neural impulses.
    • A Vial of Swamp-Water: Collected from a place where three island currents meet. This is used for the final “shock-tempering” of the silver-grass mesh.
  • Tools Required
    • A Small Steam-Bending Box: To soften the hickory strip with controlled heat until it can be coiled into the circular frame of the sifter.
    • Needle-Nose Pliers (Precision Steel): For weaving the copper wire into the silver-grass mesh with microscopic accuracy.
    • A Hand-Carved Bone Awl: For punching the mounting holes into the hickory frame. The bone must be from a predator to imbue the tool with “seeking” intent.
    • A Glass Jar of High-Pressure Vapor: To keep the High John oil at a specific temperature during the curing phase.
    • A Tuning Fork (F-Sharp): To calibrate the mesh’s resonance to the frequency of “Prime Discovery.”
  • Skill Requirements
    • Root-Working (Level 2): To understand the spiritual properties of the High John oil and how to “wake up” the hickory wood.
    • Fine Crafting (Level 2): To perform the intricate weaving of silver-grass and copper without creating “static” in the mesh.
    • Alchemy (Level 1): To properly prepare the swamp-water infusion and manage the steam-bending temperatures.
    • Selection Focus (Level 1): To imbue the final item with the avatar’s own intent to “filter the dross” from the world.
  • Crafting Steps
    • Step 1: The Bending of the Conqueror: Place the hickory strip into the steam-bending box for exactly three hours. As the wood softens, the crafter must perform a Silent chant, visualizing a path through a dense fog. Once pliable, the wood is coiled into a circle and bound with iron clamps.
    • Step 2: The Oil-Curing: While the frame is still hot from the steam, rub the High John the Conqueror root oil into the grain. The oil must be applied in a clockwise motion while whispering the names of seven successful ancestors or teachers. This ensures the “Conqueror’s Confidence” is locked into the wood.
    • Step 3: The Weaving of the Web: Using the silver-grass and copper wire, create a fine, interlocking mesh. Every third cross-stitch must be tied with a “Seeker’s Knot.” The crafter must maintain a steady rhythm, avoiding any intrusive thoughts or distractions during this phase.
    • Step 4: The Resonance Calibration: Once the mesh is complete, strike the tuning fork and hold it against the copper wires. While the wires vibrate, the crafter performs a Normal chant—the “Sifter’s Verse”—to tune the mesh to the frequency of violet luminescence.
    • Step 5: The Swamp-Water Tempering: Submerge the entire mesh into the vial of swamp-water. As the water meets the copper and silver-grass, the crafter must focus their Mind’s Eye on a single, high-quality object. This “shocks” the mesh into its active state, allowing it to recognize “Selection” criteria.
    • Step 6: The Final Mounting: Use the bone awl to punch holes into the cured hickory frame and lace the mesh into place using the remaining copper wire. The ritual is finalized by holding the sifter over a steam-vent and performing a Ritual chant for at least one minute, watching for the first spark of violet electricity in the mesh.

Great-Sifter-Hand and Pile of Many-False-Glitters

In the cycles before the many-island-floating, when the world-skin was thick and the vapor-breath was but a tiny-cloud-puff, there walked a Root-Seeker named Jo-Han of the Deep-Mud. The ancient-dust-scrolls, bitten by the silver-teeth of the time-bugs, speak of him as one who had the “eye-of-the-eagle-in-the-valley.” It is written in the crumbly-charcoal-marks that the world was then a Great-Jumble, where the true-roots were hidden beneath the many-mountains of gray-nothing-dust and the shine-of-the-fake-gold.

One season of the Long-Sharus, a Great-Confusion fell upon the People-of-the-Hearth. This was a cloud in the brain-space, caused by the Spirit-of-the-Muddled-Mind who wished to see all hand-fingers grab the wrong-tool and all mouth-throats drink the bitter-poison-sap. The gatherers of the villages began to pick the rot-berries instead of the life-fruit, and the builders used the hollow-reeds instead of the iron-wood-poles. Jo-Han saw the wrong-choosing-sickness and felt the “itch-of-the-Conqueror” in his own palm-flesh. He sought to wash the world-dust in the river-flow to see the truth-underneath, but the river was filled with the many-false-glitters and made the eyes go swim-weary.

The story-words of the ancient-cracked-stone say that Jo-Han traveled to the Hickory-of-the-First-Strike, the place where the Lightning-Week first bit the ground-dirt. There, he spoke to the High-John-Spirit, a master of the “knowing-oil.” He asked for a “filter-for-the-soul,” not to catch the fish-food, but to separate the “gold-of-the-gods” from the “sand-of-the-fools.” The High-John-Spirit gave him a strip of the lightning-wood, but it was stiff like the dead-bone and would not bend for the hand-grip. Jo-Han then took the wood-strip to the Steam-of-the-Deep-Heat. He bathed the hickory in the Vapor-of-the-Center-Earth and sang the Song-of-the-Discerning-Ear.

As he sang, the violet-fire-of-the-hidden-sun began to crawl inside the wood-veins. The hickory did not break, but it became “bending.” It learned the curve of the circle-hoop. It learned the scent of the spicy-root-oil. When he wove the mesh of silver-grass and copper-thread into the frame, the violet-glow-pulse began, matching the “sharp-quick-thought” of his own mind-center.

Jo-Han returned to the Great-Jumble. With the sifter-tool, he stood before the piles of the many-false-glitters. The sifter protected his own eye-vision from the “dust-of-the-lies.” Every time he shook the hickory-frame over the rubble-heaps, the copper-wires sang with a clinking-glass-voice, and the violet-light-bolt struck the one true-root hidden in the million-stones. He sifted for seven weeks of seven days, never ceasing the Selection-Verse. His fingers became calloused like the beetle-shell, and his internal-humors became bright with the “clarity-of-the-Conqueror,” but the Confidence in the sifter kept his heart-vessel from the doubt-shaking.

Finally, the Great-Confusion was sifted away. The people found the life-fruit and the iron-wood-poles. The sifter, however, was no longer just a frame of wood. It had absorbed the “intent-of-the-filtering” and the “memory-of-the-lightning-strike.” It had become the Hoodoo 311, the first of its root-line, a focus for all who would come after to select the one-true-path from the many-shadow-ways of Saṃsāra. The ancient-translator-scribes noted that Jo-Han did not lock the sifter in a box-of-stone when his task was finished. He left it upon the Altar-of-the-Southern-Reach, so that the violet-light might guide the seekers to the prime-materials and spread the “discernment-power” to all the island-nations.

The scrolls end with a smeared-mark describing how the sifter was found again by a tier-1 avatar during a time of great market-deceptions in the Sun-Port. It is said that the tool did not need to be shown the truth; it remembered the eyes of Jo-Han and the scent of the High-John oil, and it immediately began its violet-pulse to filter the new-lies.

The Moral of the Story: The hand that grabs at everything catches only the dust, for a life spent without the sifter of choice is a pile of many-false-glitters, and the true-root is only for those who learn to filter the dross.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Unique Name: The Sifter of High John’s Discernment

  • Item Type: Minor Artifact / Folk Magic Tool
  • Game Mechanics: This hickory and silver-grass sieve is used by root-workers to filter out “spiritual dross.” It requires a successful Luck roll or the expenditure of 1 Magic Point to activate its primary seeking properties for one hour.
  • Stat Block:
    • Root-Worker’s Discernment (Passive): The investigator gains a Bonus Die on any Library Use or Spot Hidden rolls made specifically to identify rare botanical specimens, occult components, or hidden structural flaws.
    • Sift for the Secret: When active, the investigator may attempt a Hard Spot Hidden roll to find a specific concealed object (like a hidden key or a buried ritual component). If successful, the object emits a faint violet shimmering only the user can see.
    • Filter the Foe: Once per day, the user may expend 3 Magic Points to “sift” the air. For the next round, any incoming non-magical projectile attack (bullets, arrows) against the user suffers a Penalty Die as the energy is partially diverted.
  • Syntax: “The violet glow of the mesh allows the investigator to perceive the ‘essential salt’ of an object, bypassing mundane camouflage.”

Blades in the Dark

Unique Name: The High John Selection Frame

  • Item Type: Fine Utility Item (1 Load)
  • Game Mechanics: A tool used by “Leaches” and “Whispers” to ensure only the most potent materials are used in their concoctions or rituals.
  • Specific Mechanics:
    • The Conqueror’s Confidence (Passive): When you take an action to Study or Survey a hoard of items or a chaotic environment, you may take +1d to the roll. This allows you to find the “Fine” quality version of a component or the most vulnerable structural point.
    • Surgical Selection: You may expend a use of this item to ignore a Complication related to “Finding the wrong thing” or “Poor quality materials” during a score.
    • Filter the Foe (Special): You may mark 2 Stress to use the sifter to deflect a physical blow or projectile. This counts as a Resistance Roll (Insight) where you automatically reduce the Harm by one level as you “select” the impact to hit a non-vital area.
  • Syntax: “The sifter grants Potency to any action involving the identification or retrieval of specific, high-value assets.”

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Unique Name: Hoodoo-311: Sifter of the Conqueror

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item, Common
  • Game Mechanics: Requires Attunement by a creature with proficiency in the Medicine, Nature, or Survival skill.
  • Stat Block:
    • Root-Worker’s Discernment: While holding this sifter, you have Advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks to find hidden objects or to determine the quality of herbal and alchemical ingredients.
    • Sift for the Secret: As an action, you can name a specific type of non-magical material (e.g., “gold,” “hemlock,” “iron”). For 1 minute, any such material within 10 feet of you that is hidden from view is highlighted by a faint violet glow visible only to you.
    • Filter the Foe (1/Day): When you are targeted by a ranged weapon attack, you can use your Reaction to flourish the sifter. You gain a +2 bonus to AC against that attack as a violet barrier momentarily sifts the kinetic energy.
  • Syntax: “The sifter’s mesh pulses with a dim violet light (5-foot radius) while its active search properties are engaged.”

Knave (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: High John’s Sieve

  • Item Type: Utility Gear (1 Slot)
  • Game Mechanics: A refined tool for adventurers who prefer to find the “needle in the haystack” without wasting time.
  • Specific Mechanics:
    • Conqueror’s Eye: You gain a +2 bonus to all Saves or Checks made to identify traps, secret doors, or the value of loot.
    • Sift: By spending an action to chant, you can automatically find the most valuable single item in a room or pile of debris, provided it is not magically shielded.
    • Filter: Once per day, you may use the sifter to automatically succeed on a DEX Save against a physical projectile or trap, as the mesh “filters” the danger away from your person.
  • Syntax: “The item acts as a focus for ‘Selection’ magic, ensuring the avatar never settles for dross when gold is present.”

Fate (Condensed / Core)

Unique Name: High John’s Sifter of Discernment

  • Item Type: Extraordinary Item / Stunt Focus
  • Game Mechanics: This hickory-framed sifter acts as a specialized tool for Investigate or Crafts actions. It emphasizes the “Selection” aspect of Hoodoo magic.
  • Specific Mechanics:
    • Root-Worker’s Discernment: Because I have High John’s Sifter, I get a +2 to Investigate rolls made to find hidden objects or identify the quality of natural materials in a chaotic environment.
    • The Conqueror’s Confidence: Once per session, you may spend a Fate Point to automatically discover a “Structural Flaw” or “Hidden Asset” aspect on a scene or object without rolling, representing the sifter filtering out the dross.
    • Filter the Foe: You may use Investigate to Defend against a single ranged physical attack per scene. If you succeed with style, you gain a boost called Sifted Momentum.
  • Syntax: “The player invokes the Selection of the sifter to bypass mundane obstacles and find the ‘prime’ path.”

Numenera & Cypher System

Unique Name: The Harmonic Selection Sieve

  • Item Type: Artifact (Level 1d6)
  • Game Mechanics: A hand-held mesh of silver-grass and copper that vibrates at the frequency of “Value.”
  • Specific Mechanics:
    • Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Check made after using the Filter the Foe ability).
    • Passive – Root-Worker’s Discernment (Asset): While held, the user has an Asset on all tasks involving searching, identifying herbs/chemicals, or scavenging for parts.
    • Active – Sift for the Secret (Action): The user chants for a moment. They find one specific non-magical item within immediate distance, even if it is buried or hidden behind a Level 3 or lower obstacle.
    • Active – Filter the Foe (Action): For one round, the difficulty of all Speed Defense rolls against ranged projectiles is decreased by one step.
  • Syntax: “The device sifts the local information-field, highlighting high-probability targets with a violet glow.”

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Hoodoo-311: High John Sifter

  • Item Type: Item 1 (Magical, Divination, Primal)
  • Game Mechanics: Held (1 Hand).
  • Stat Block:
    • Usage: held in 1 hand; Bulk: L
    • Root-Worker’s Discernment (Passive): You gain a +1 item bonus to Perception checks to find hidden objects and to Nature or Crafting checks to identify the quality of raw materials.
    • Sift for the Secret (Action): [One-Action] (concentrate, divination, primal); Effect: You name a specific mundane material or object. For 1 minute, you gain Sense (Mundane Material) with a range of 10 feet, allowing you to locate the named item even through total cover.
    • Filter the Foe (Reaction): [Trigger: You are targeted by a ranged weapon attack.] Effect: You flourish the sifter. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against the triggering attack.
  • Syntax: “The sifter identifies the ‘True Root’ of a situation, granting the user supernatural clarity in their selection.”

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Unique Name: The Conqueror’s High John Sifter

  • Item Type: Minor Arcane Artifact
  • Game Mechanics: Must be held in one hand or hung visibly from a belt to provide passive benefits.
  • Specific Mechanics:
    • Root-Worker’s Discernment (Passive): The user adds +1 to all Notice and Research rolls made to find hidden items, identify plants, or evaluate the quality of trade goods.
    • Sift for the Secret (Active): As an action, the user makes a Notice roll. On a success, they locate the single most valuable or useful object within 5″ (10 yards), regardless of cover or concealment.
    • Filter the Foe (Active): Once per encounter, the user can spend a Bennie to automatically “Sift” an incoming ranged attack, making the attacker re-roll the hit and take the lower result.
  • Syntax: “The violet arcs of the copper mesh physically nudge the user’s hand toward the most ‘correct’ choice in a pile of dross.”

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

Unique Name: The High John Root-Jack

  • Item Type: Awakened Focus (Divination) / Alchemical Sifter
  • Game Mechanics: This hickory and copper-wire focus is specifically tuned to the “Analyze Truth” and “Find Object” spells. It must be bonded to the user’s astral signature to function.
  • Specific Mechanics:
    • Root-Worker’s Discernment (Passive): The user gains a +1 dice bonus to all Perception or Biotech tests made to identify natural reagents or high-purity alchemical components.
    • Sift for the Secret: When casting a detection spell through this focus to find a specific object, the user may reduce the Threshold of the test by 1 (to a minimum of 1). The sifter hums with a violet resonance when pointing toward the target.
    • Filter the Foe: Once per day, the user may spend 1 Edge to “sift” the incoming ballistic data of a single ranged attack. This adds +2 to the user’s Defensive Rating for that specific attack as a violet shimmering field momentarily disrupts the projectile’s path.
  • Syntax: “The mesh acts as a spiritual filter, allowing the user to ignore the ‘noise’ of the physical world to select the ‘signal’ of the astral.”

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Unique Name: Hoodoo-311: Molecular Selection Sieve

  • Item Type: Magic Item (Level 1)
  • Game Mechanics: This item occupies a Hand slot (must be held to activate) and requires investment. It is highly valued by Scavengers and Bio-Tech Specialists.
  • Stat Block:
    • Root-Worker’s Discernment (Passive): You gain a +1 item bonus to Perception checks to find hidden objects and to Life Science or Physical Science checks to identify the quality of raw materials or minerals.
    • Sift for the Secret (Action): [One-Action] You name a specific mundane material or tech component. For 1 minute, you gain Sense (Named Material) with a range of 10 feet. This allows you to locate the item even through bulkheads or storage crates.
    • Filter the Foe (Reaction): [Trigger: You are targeted by a ranged weapon attack.] Effect: You flourish the sifter. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against the triggering attack as the copper mesh “selects” the kinetic energy to be dispersed.
  • Syntax: “The sifter uses bio-resonant frequencies to highlight molecular structures that match the user’s selection criteria.”

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Unique Name: The Hickory Scavenger’s Filter

  • Item Type: TL 13 Bio-Electronic Scanner / Psionic Interface
  • Game Mechanics: Often disguised as a primitive tool, this device uses sophisticated sensors to “select” specific atomic signatures from debris.
  • Specific Mechanics:
    • Selection Scan (Passive): The user gains a +1 DM to all Sensors or Science (Chemistry) checks made to identify rare elements or high-grade fuel components in a wreckage.
    • Sift for the Secret: By spending one minute scanning a pile of junk or a crowded cargo hold, the user treats any check to find a specific item as an Easy (+2) task. The device emits a sharp “clinking” pulse when the item is located.
    • Filter the Foe: Once per combat, if the user is targeted by a slugthrower or energy weapon, they may attempt a Difficult (-2) Dexterity (Athletics) check. If successful, the device’s localized gravity-mesh “sifts” the air, providing a -2 DM to the attacker’s roll.
  • Syntax: “The violet luminescence indicates a match in the device’s internal database of ‘High-Value’ signatures.”

Warhammer (4th Edition)

Unique Name: The Sieve of the Southern Roots

  • Item Type: Magical Curio / Talisman of the Search
  • Game Mechanics: A hand-crafted hickory sifter often found among the folk-magicians of the marshlands. It is whispered to be a focus for the Wind of Chamon (Gold Magic) or Ghyran (Life Magic), depending on what is being “selected.”
  • Specific Mechanics:
    • The Conqueror’s Eye (Passive): The wearer gains a +10 bonus to all Perception and Trade (Herbalist) tests.
    • Sift for the Secret (Active): As an Action, the user may make a Challenging (+0) Perception test. If successful, they locate the single most potent root, hidden coin, or mechanical weakness within 4 yards.
    • Filter the Foe (Active): Once per day, the user may use the Dodge skill against a ranged attack. If the test is successful, the sifter “selects” the attack to miss by a wider margin, granting the user a +10 bonus to their next Attack roll as they capitalize on the opening.
  • Syntax: “The violet sparks within the silver-grass mesh are the spirits of the Conqueror selecting the truth from the lies of the shadow.”