It's definitely possible but wizard vs cat battle, the wizard will usually win. The cat can only do 1 damage a turn so it would take 6 rounds to kill a lvl 1 wizard with a CON of 10 all attacks hit and no opportunity attacks. The cat has 4 hit points max and 2 average. The wizard could kill it with four fire bolts that hit for minimum damage. Or more likely 1-2 hits. A mob of cats has a better chance.
Although not mentioned in the different swarm's of animals, there could be a swarm of cats (clouder). That would be an interesting fight... Wizard vs. Swarm of Cats.
The reason AD&D wizards had to fear cats was because the stats written up for cats back then allowed them 2 claw attacks and a bite attack, each dealing at least 1 damage, and a first level wizard (magic-user, but whatever) actually had to roll 1d4 for their hit points rather than getting maximum and needed to manage a Constitution of at least 15 to even get a +1 bonus to hit points (and couldn't have more than a +2 bonus to hit points per hit die no matter how high their Con was because higher HP modifiers used to basically be a fighter class feature, but only if you actually rolled a high enough Con score).
So the "average rolls" outcome was the wizard dead in one round if it lost initiative.
A very different situation than happens should a single cat attack a 1st level wizard in 5th edition.
The reason AD&D wizards had to fear cats was because the stats written up for cats back then allowed them 2 claw attacks and a bite attack, each dealing at least 1 damage, and a first level wizard (magic-user, but whatever) actually had to roll 1d4 for their hit points rather than getting maximum and needed to manage a Constitution of at least 15 to even get a +1 bonus to hit points (and couldn't have more than a +2 bonus to hit points per hit die no matter how high their Con was because higher HP modifiers used to basically be a fighter class feature, but only if you actually rolled a high enough Con score).
So the "average rolls" outcome was the wizard dead in one round if it lost initiative.
A very different situation than happens should a single cat attack a 1st level wizard in 5th edition.
Didn't they have some version of shield back then?
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
The reason AD&D wizards had to fear cats was because the stats written up for cats back then allowed them 2 claw attacks and a bite attack, each dealing at least 1 damage, and a first level wizard (magic-user, but whatever) actually had to roll 1d4 for their hit points rather than getting maximum and needed to manage a Constitution of at least 15 to even get a +1 bonus to hit points (and couldn't have more than a +2 bonus to hit points per hit die no matter how high their Con was because higher HP modifiers used to basically be a fighter class feature, but only if you actually rolled a high enough Con score).
So the "average rolls" outcome was the wizard dead in one round if it lost initiative.
A very different situation than happens should a single cat attack a 1st level wizard in 5th edition.
Didn't they have some version of shield back then?
Sure, but it was a cast-in-advance and hope the duration (5 minutes at 1st level, if I remember correctly) lasts long enough to be relevant affair... and the era also happened to include mages having the spells in their spellbook determined by the DM/at random rather than a player being able to make strategic choices which spells to know... plus they only had a single spell per day, unless they were a specialist.
The reason AD&D wizards had to fear cats was because the stats written up for cats back then allowed them 2 claw attacks and a bite attack, each dealing at least 1 damage, and a first level wizard (magic-user, but whatever) actually had to roll 1d4 for their hit points rather than getting maximum and needed to manage a Constitution of at least 15 to even get a +1 bonus to hit points (and couldn't have more than a +2 bonus to hit points per hit die no matter how high their Con was because higher HP modifiers used to basically be a fighter class feature, but only if you actually rolled a high enough Con score).
So the "average rolls" outcome was the wizard dead in one round if it lost initiative.
A very different situation than happens should a single cat attack a 1st level wizard in 5th edition.
Didn't they have some version of shield back then?
Sure, but it was a cast-in-advance and hope the duration (5 minutes at 1st level, if I remember correctly) lasts long enough to be relevant affair... and the era also happened to include mages having the spells in their spellbook determined by the DM/at random rather than a player being able to make strategic choices which spells to know... plus they only had a single spell per day, unless they were a specialist.
It's been years but I thought specialists didn't exist until second edition. But in first edition plain AD&D there weren't specialist so much as the illusionist which was a class by itself.
I suppose if you mean 2nd edition that's also AD&D.
The reason AD&D wizards had to fear cats was because the stats written up for cats back then allowed them 2 claw attacks and a bite attack, each dealing at least 1 damage, and a first level wizard (magic-user, but whatever) actually had to roll 1d4 for their hit points rather than getting maximum and needed to manage a Constitution of at least 15 to even get a +1 bonus to hit points (and couldn't have more than a +2 bonus to hit points per hit die no matter how high their Con was because higher HP modifiers used to basically be a fighter class feature, but only if you actually rolled a high enough Con score).
So the "average rolls" outcome was the wizard dead in one round if it lost initiative.
A very different situation than happens should a single cat attack a 1st level wizard in 5th edition.
Didn't they have some version of shield back then?
Sure, but it was a cast-in-advance and hope the duration (5 minutes at 1st level, if I remember correctly) lasts long enough to be relevant affair... and the era also happened to include mages having the spells in their spellbook determined by the DM/at random rather than a player being able to make strategic choices which spells to know... plus they only had a single spell per day, unless they were a specialist.
Ouch. That's all I can say.
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
It's been years but I thought specialists didn't exist until second edition. But in first edition plain AD&D there weren't specialist so much as the illusionist which was a class by itself.
I suppose if you mean 2nd edition that's also AD&D.
It is correct that the book didn't use the word "specialist" to refer to the illusionist - but it was listed as a "sub-class of magic-users", and it did specialize in illusion magic, so I've developed a habit of using the term specialist to apply to 1e illusionists even though they are more like a prototype of what would come later.
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I recently heard somewhere that in 1st edition D&D it was possible for a cat to kill a 1st level wizard. Is this still possible in 5e?
It's definitely possible but wizard vs cat battle, the wizard will usually win. The cat can only do 1 damage a turn so it would take 6 rounds to kill a lvl 1 wizard with a CON of 10 all attacks hit and no opportunity attacks. The cat has 4 hit points max and 2 average. The wizard could kill it with four fire bolts that hit for minimum damage. Or more likely 1-2 hits. A mob of cats has a better chance.
Although not mentioned in the different swarm's of animals, there could be a swarm of cats (clouder). That would be an interesting fight... Wizard vs. Swarm of Cats.
The reason AD&D wizards had to fear cats was because the stats written up for cats back then allowed them 2 claw attacks and a bite attack, each dealing at least 1 damage, and a first level wizard (magic-user, but whatever) actually had to roll 1d4 for their hit points rather than getting maximum and needed to manage a Constitution of at least 15 to even get a +1 bonus to hit points (and couldn't have more than a +2 bonus to hit points per hit die no matter how high their Con was because higher HP modifiers used to basically be a fighter class feature, but only if you actually rolled a high enough Con score).
So the "average rolls" outcome was the wizard dead in one round if it lost initiative.
A very different situation than happens should a single cat attack a 1st level wizard in 5th edition.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
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Peasants also had 1d4 hitpoints. Housecats were very deadly.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
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