Grace Sherwood — Witch of Pungo

Painted fantasy interpretation of Grace Sherwood — Fantasy portrait generated with Midjourney; not a historical likeness.

Grace Sherwood is the Witch of Pungo: a farmer, healer and keeper of household magic whose neighbours seek her cures and fear her curses. A black cat called Soot sleeps on her court papers. Bundles of knotted thread hang inside the cottage door, and the milk in a dishonest visitor’s cup sometimes turns before they have finished speaking.

Grace has won an assault case against a neighbour. Now the same household accuses her of blighting livestock and crops. She has used a curse to frighten an attacker away from her farm, but denies these charges. Her husband James is dead, and their sons John, James and Richard depend on the property. She wants the false testimony exposed before the sheriff turns a local quarrel into a public water ordeal.

At a Glance

Identity: Grace White Sherwood, human witch, widow, farmer and healer.
Home: Pungo and the Lynnhaven River country, Virginia.
Craft: Inherited family witchcraft; healing, charms, curses, transformations and water rites.
Familiar: Soot, a black cat who recognises the voices of people who have threatened the household.
Family: Late husband James; sons John, James and Richard.
Immediate aim: Keep her family on its land and recover the court record before the ordeal.
Opposition: Luke and Elizabeth Hill, hostile witnesses and officials who value a quick verdict.
Strengths: Practical magic, patient observation and detailed knowledge of her neighbours.
Limits: She can escape danger more easily than she can protect three sons, a farm and a reputation. Public coercion or violence would strengthen her enemies.
Use in play: A witch patron for remedies and curse-breaking, a difficult witness to protect, or an ally whose retaliation can deepen a feud.

Game Statistics

Grace is a practising witch. She brews remedies, places wards, speaks with spirits and knows how to lay a curse. Her spells require their normal components; bound hands, a gag, broken Concentration or separation from her familiar can matter. The fifth-edition blocks are original NPC adaptations with estimated CR5; Pathfinder uses its published Witch class, and 3.5e uses the site’s legacy Witch.

5.5e / 20245e / 2014Pathfinder 1eD&D 3.5e

Grace Sherwood — 2024

Medium Humanoid (Human, Witch), Neutral Good

AC 15 (household wards); Initiative +2 (12); HP 91 (14d8 + 28); Speed 30 ft.

STR10(+0)

DEX14(+2)

CON14(+2)

INT18(+4)

WIS16(+3)

CHA14(+2)

Saves Con +5, Int +7, Wis +6; Skills Arcana +7, Insight +6, Medicine +6, Nature +7, Perception +6, Survival +6; Senses Passive Perception 16; Languages English; CR 5 (1,800 XP; PB +3).

Traits

Soot, Cat Familiar. A black cat familiar watches the garden and courthouse for Grace. Use the 2024 Find Familiar rules: Soot cannot attack, and Grace can communicate telepathically with him within 100 feet. She can perform the spell’s ritual to restore him, paying its normal component cost.

Spellcasting. Grace casts the following spells using Intelligence (spell save DC 15, +7 to spell attacks), with their normal components and at their lowest level. She maintains only one Concentration effect at a time.

At will: Druidcraft, Guidance, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion.
3/day each: Charm Person, Cure Wounds, Fog Cloud, Speak with Animals.
1/day each: Bestow Curse, Dispel Magic, Polymorph, Water Breathing.

Actions

Multiattack. Grace makes two Witchfire attacks.

Witchfire. Ranged Attack Roll: +7, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (4d6 + 4) Psychic damage. The light takes the shape of a burning thread between her fingers.

Walking Staff. Melee Attack Roll: +3, reach 5 ft. Hit: 3 (1d6) Bludgeoning damage.

Bonus Actions

Evil Eye (3/Day). One creature Grace sees within 30 feet makes a DC 15 Wisdom save. On failure, it has Disadvantage on the next attack roll or saving throw it makes before the end of Grace’s next turn. This is a magical curse.

Reactions

Protective Knot (3/Day). When Grace or a creature she sees within 30 feet takes damage from an attack, she reduces that damage by 9 (1d10 + 4).

Grace Sherwood — D&D 5e / 2014

Medium humanoid (human, witch), neutral good

Armor Class 14 (protective charms); Hit Points 91 (14d8 + 28); Speed 30 ft.

STR10(+0)

DEX14(+2)

CON14(+2)

INT16(+3)

WIS18(+4)

CHA14(+2)

Saving Throws Con +5, Wis +7; Skills Arcana +6, Insight +7, Medicine +7, Nature +6, Perception +7, Survival +7; Senses passive Perception 17; Languages English; Challenge 5 (1,800 XP; proficiency bonus +3).

Traits

Familiar. Soot uses the 2014 Find Familiar rules in cat form. He cannot attack. Grace can communicate telepathically with him within 100 feet and summon him again using the spell’s normal ritual, time and components.

Spellcasting. Grace is a 10th-level witch spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). Her complete daily preparation contains 14 levelled spells, with a full-caster slot progression. This is an original NPC Witch list; it preserves her nature and healing magic alongside curses. Spells use their 2014 rules, components and Concentration requirements.

Cantrips (at will): Druidcraft, Guidance, Mending, Thorn Whip.
1st level (4 slots): Charm Person, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, Speak with Animals.
2nd level (3 slots): Lesser Restoration, Pass without Trace, Spike Growth.
3rd level (3 slots): Bestow Curse, Call Lightning, Dispel Magic, Water Breathing.
4th level (3 slots): Freedom of Movement, Polymorph.
5th level (2 slots): Commune with Nature.

Actions

Multiattack. Grace makes two Witchfire attacks.

Witchfire. Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (4d6 + 4) psychic damage.

Walking Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage.

Bonus Actions

Evil Eye (3/Day). One creature within 30 feet that Grace can see must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on its next attack roll or saving throw before the end of Grace’s next turn.

Reactions

Protective Knot (3/Day). When Grace or a creature she can see within 30 feet takes damage from an attack, Grace reduces the damage by 9 (1d10 + 4).

Grace Sherwood — Pathfinder 1e

CR 7 (3,200 XP); female human witch 8 (published Pathfinder class); NG Medium humanoid (human); Init +6; Senses Perception +13 while Soot is within arm’s reach.

Defense

AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +4 mage armor); without the spell, AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10. hp 54 (8d6 + 16 Con + 8 Toughness, first Hit Die maximised); Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +9.

Offense

Speed 30 ft.; Melee quarterstaff +4 (1d6); Ranged dagger +6 (1d4, range increment 10 ft.); Patron Transformation.

Witch Spells Prepared (CL 8th; concentration +12, +16 when casting defensively). DC 14 + spell level; enchantment spells gain +1 DC from Spell Focus. Patron spells occupy ordinary slots, not extra domain slots.

0 (4, at will): dancing lights, daze, detect magic, read magic.
1st (5): charm person, cure light wounds, mage armor, obscuring mist, sleep. Mage armor has already been cast and its slot spent in the listed AC.
2nd (4): blindness/deafness, cure moderate wounds, false life, hold person.
3rd (4): beast shape I (patron), bestow curse, dispel magic, water walk.
4th (3): beast shape II (patron), dimension door, neutralize poison.

Hexes (standard actions; DC 18 where applicable):

Cauldron: Brew Potion bonus feat and +4 insight on Craft (alchemy), included below.
Healing: touch heals 2d8+8 hp; each recipient can benefit once per 24 hours.
Slumber: one creature within 30 ft., Will DC 18 or sleep for 8 rounds; any HD; damage or another creature’s standard action wakes it. Each target can be attempted once per 24 hours.
Evil Eye: one creature within 30 ft. takes −4 to AC, attack rolls, saves, skill checks or ability checks (choose one category) for 7 rounds; Will DC 18 reduces this to 1 round. Mind-affecting.
Fortune: one creature within 30 ft. may reroll one attack, save, skill or ability check per round for 2 rounds, taking the better result; declare before the original roll. Each recipient can benefit once per 24 hours.

Statistics

Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 14; BAB +4; CMB +4; CMD 16.

Feats Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, Improved Initiative, Spell Focus (enchantment), Toughness; Brew Potion from Cauldron; Alertness while Soot is within arm’s reach.

Skills Craft (alchemy) +19, Fly +13, Heal +14, Knowledge (nature) +15, Perception +13, Profession (herbalist) +14, Spellcraft +15, Use Magic Device +13. Eight ranks in each listed skill; human and favoured-class skill points included. Perception includes the familiar’s Alertness bonus; without Soot, +11.

Familiar Soot, cat (27 hp; improved evasion, share spells, empathic link, deliver touch spells, speak with master). He stores Grace’s spells and must commune with her for daily preparation. Gear walking staff, dagger, component pouch, cauldron, inherited charms and household papers.

Grace Sherwood — D&D 3.5e

CR 8; female human legacy Witch 8, Family Tradition; NG Medium humanoid (human). Uses the site’s Wisdom-based d20 Witch, adapted to 3.5e, rather than Pathfinder hexes.

Hit Dice	8d4 + 19 (40 hp; first Hit Die maximised; includes +3 Toughness)
Initiative	+6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed	30 ft.
Armor Class	12 (+2 Dex), touch 12, flat-footed 10
BAB / Grapple	+4 / +4
Attack / Full Attack	Quarterstaff +4 melee (1d6) or dagger +6 ranged (1d4, 10-ft. increment); no iterative attack
Space / Reach	5 ft. / 5 ft.
Saves	Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +10
Abilities	Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 14
Skills	Concentration +13, Heal +18, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge (nature) +14, Profession (herbalist) +15, Spellcraft +16 (includes +2 Knowledge arcana synergy). Each has 11 ranks; human skill points included. Listen and Spot +6 while Soot is within arm’s reach.
Feats	Combat Casting, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Heal), Toughness; Create Talisman and Craft Wondrous Item as class bonus feats; Brew Potion from Witch3; conditional familiar Alertness.

Spells Prepared

CL 8; Wisdom-based; DC 14 + spell level. Concentration is a +13 skill check (+17 casting defensively). Slots below include Wisdom bonus spells and one separately marked Water-coven slot at each level 1–4.

0 (6/day): cure minor wounds, detect magic, guidance, light, mending, read magic.
1st (5 + 1 coven): charm person, cure light wounds ×2, protection from evil, sleep; coven: obscuring mist.
2nd (4 + 1 coven): cure moderate wounds, invisibility, mirror image, speak with animals; coven: fog cloud.
3rd (3 + 1 coven): bestow curse, dispel magic, remove curse; coven: water breathing.
4th (2 + 1 coven): divination, polymorph (self only); coven: control water.

Polymorph uses the 3.5e spell with a self-only limit in place of the old class list’s Polymorph Self.

Witchcraft

Bewitch (Sp, 1/day). Standard action; one humanoid, charm person, range 45 ft., Will DC 15, duration 8 hours. Delivered by melee touch +4, the DC is17.

Hex (Sp, 1/day). Standard action; one creature within 30 ft., Will DC 17 or the bestow curse penalty of −4 on attacks, saves, ability checks and skill checks. Permanent until removed normally; delivered by melee touch +4, DC 19. It does not stack with another bestow curse.

Trackless Step (Ex). No ordinary trail in natural terrain.

Folk Magic Art. Adds its listed spells to her available Witch list; Gather Information and Sleight of Hand are additional class skills, with no ranks currently assigned.

Family Feud. Against active members of the Hill household’s feud, +1 on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot and Survival checks, and weapon damage. This is her Family Tradition’s minor power, not a bonus against every neighbour.

Cold-Iron Vulnerability. Cold-iron weapons have doubled threat ranges against Grace; if Improved Critical already applies, add 1 to the threat range instead. A critical hit forces a Fortitude save (DC equal to damage) or nauseates her for 1 round. Such wounds require magical healing. Cold-iron restraints do not automatically suppress her spellcasting.

Familiar. Soot, cat (20 hp), using the 3.5e familiar rules at master level 8. Gear Book of Shadows, staff, dagger, cauldron, component pouch, household charms and legal papers.

What Is Grace Sherwood Doing Now?

Grace is sewing a protective knot into Richard’s coat while Soot follows the clerk who copied the latest witness statements. Two depositions describe incidents that occurred while their witnesses were elsewhere. She needs the original court book to prove it. A stolen page from her own Book of Shadows has also appeared among the exhibits: someone has copied her charm-knots onto a dead calf’s tether.

She will admit privately that she cursed a man who broke into her yard. She lifted that curse when he returned what he had taken. The ruined crops are another matter. Grace recognises an attempt to imitate her work and wants to know who had access to the missing page. Meanwhile her sons are keeping the farm alive; a magical escape that leaves them facing seizure and reprisals would solve little.

Encounters

The clerk’s torn page. Soot returns with a strip of court paper caught under his collar. It records a payment to a witness who claimed to have seen Grace in cat form. The clerk’s cupboard contains the rest, sealed with a simple magical alarm. Grace wants a witnessed copy, not a burnt courthouse or an enchanted confession.
The ferry at Witchduck Point. The sheriff prepares the boat while armed men keep Grace’s sons on the bank. She asks the party to search her cottage for a concealed charm before the crowd arrives. A transformation or water-working might save her life, but the characters must also keep the family safe and get the contested petition to a magistrate who will hear it.

Personality and Behaviour

Grace wants exact names, dates and words. She dislikes pity and makes visitors explain what they expect in return for help. She treats an injured stranger before asking who sent them, but will remember anyone who threatens a child or tramples her garden. Her anger can become a curse; she is capable of admitting that she went too far. She will bargain, conceal her craft and accept practical protection, but will not surrender her family’s book to a hostile court.

Relationships and Politics

James Sherwood, her late husband, knew about the craft and helped conceal its tools among ordinary farm implements. Their sons John, James and Richard know which visitors may enter the cottage and which cupboards must stay shut. Luke and Elizabeth Hill are opponents in the present dispute. Earlier quarrels with John and Jane Gisburne and Anthony and Elizabeth Barnes left a trail of slander and resentment. Soot is a familiar, not an obedient pet: he dislikes being carried into the courthouse and insists on inspecting a visitor’s shoes.

Adventure Hooks

A cow that died twice. An old allegation has been copied into a new deposition with a different date. The tether offered as proof carries Grace’s family knot tied backwards. Finding the original testimony and the stolen page could identify the person manufacturing a witchcraft case against a real witch.
The price of lifting it. A neighbour asks Grace to remove a curse but refuses to say who laid it. The victim has been hiding goods taken from her farm. She will lift the curse when the goods return; someone else wants the party to destroy her book so no one learns where the thefts led.

Equipment and Treasure

Her most important possessions are the inherited Book of Shadows and the deeds to the farm. She also keeps a cauldron, bandages, prepared herbs, knotted cords, wax figures and the ordinary tools of a working household. She trades healing and curse-breaking for coin, supplies or help during harvest. A charm given to protect a child is not an invitation to loot the rest of the cottage.

Second imaginative painted portrait of Grace Sherwood — Fantasy painting generated with Midjourney; no authenticated lifetime portrait survives.

Campaign Connections

Use the Witch class, spell lists, familiars, Family Tradition and Folk Magic references for her craft. The Bestow Curse and Remove Curse entries explain the central magical stakes. See the Western NPC archive and North America for regional connections.

Historical Record and Sources

Grace White Sherwood (about 1660–1740) was a farmer, midwife and healer in the Pungo area of Virginia. Married to James Sherwood, she had three sons, John, James and Richard. She and James pursued slander suits in 1698; after his death in 1701 she brought an assault case against Luke and Elizabeth Hill and won damages. Luke Hill then accused her of witchcraft. On 10 July 1706, authorities in Princess Anne County subjected her to a water ordeal in the Lynnhaven River. She survived and was imprisoned. She later returned to her property; her will was proved in 1740. In 2006, Virginia’s governor informally restored her good name.

The historical court records do not establish that Grace possessed magical powers. Her actual witchcraft, Soot and the stolen spellbook page belong to this fantasy campaign. The lawsuits, family and water ordeal come from the recorded case. Accounts differ over the length of her imprisonment and details of her later life; the court transcript records what the authorities claimed and ordered.

Virginia Museum of History & Culture — Grace Sherwood, trial chronology and original records.
Encyclopedia Virginia — Grace Sherwood, family (three sons), lawsuits and estate.
Encyclopedia Virginia — 1706 Court Proceedings, original record transcription.
Library of Congress — Virginia’s Witch Duck, primary context and later remembrance.
Scott O. Moore, The Witch of Pungo (University of Virginia Press, 2024), modern research.

Edition Sources and Licences

The 2024 conversion includes material adapted from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (SRD 5.2.1) by Wizards of the Coast LLC. The 2014 conversion includes material from System Reference Document 5.1 (SRD 5.1), also by Wizards of the Coast LLC. Both are available through D&D Beyond and licensed under CC BY 4.0. The fifth-edition Witch NPC abilities and lists are original adaptations.

The Pathfinder Witch mechanics and legacy 3.5e Witch conversion are Open Game Content under OGL v1.0a. Sources include the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide Witch and the site’s Liber Mysterium-based Witch class, Family Tradition and Folk Magic Art. Historical discussion and illustrations are not designated Open Game Content.

Open Game License Version 1.0a and copyright notices

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a

1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.

2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.

3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.

4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.

5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.

6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.

7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.

8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.

9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.

10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.

11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.

12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.

13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.

14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.

15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE

System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.