I'm starting a new thread with this question in mind. I apologize in advance if this question is better suited for another forum.

How "old" is Merlin in 485? I'm interpreting that he was probably no more than 15 in 465 at the time Vortigern brought him to the castle at Snowdon. That must make him only 36 years old or so in 485. Isn't that a bit young to be described as an "old man" in his first appearance? I mean the easy route would be to say that he uses magic to appear older, or that he doesn't appear old at all. But neither of those explanations are all that satisfying.

He would have had to have been born in 440 or earlier to even qualify as "old' much less a white bearded ancient looking fellow. And that would have meant he would have been too old to have been a boy at the time Vortigern was building his castle as Snowdon. So how do I solve this discrepancy?

The obvious route would be to portray Merlin as a younger man in the time of Uther but this really steals away from the iconic white bearded old wizard that's apparent from the very first quest. Maybe it would be an interesting portrayal but then again it might make him lose some of his ancient Majesty.

I'm starting a new thread with this question in mind. I apologize in advance if this question is better suited for another forum.

How "old" is Merlin in 485? I'm interpreting that he was probably no more than 15 in 465 at the time Vortigern brought him to the castle at Snowdon. That must make him only 36 years old or so in 485. Isn't that a bit young to be described as an "old man" in his first appearance? I mean the easy route would be to say that he uses magic to appear older, or that he doesn't appear old at all. But neither of those explanations are all that satisfying.

He would have had to have been born in 440 or earlier to even qualify as "old' much less a white bearded ancient looking fellow. And that would have meant he would have been too old to have been a boy at the time Vortigern was building his castle as Snowdon. So how do I solve this discrepancy?

The obvious route would be to portray Merlin as a younger man in the time of Uther but this really steals away from the iconic white bearded old wizard that's apparent from the very first quest. Maybe it would be an interesting portrayal but then again it might make him lose some of his ancient Majesty.


I've always played Merlin so he's age indeterminate. He was old when my players first encountered him in 485 and now in 510 he's still just old. His appearance for me doesn't change.

I've always played Merlin so he's age indeterminate. He was old when my players first encountered him in 485 and now in 510 he's still just old. His appearance for me doesn't change.


That's how I was going to approach it but that view is simply inconsistent with the dates given. When you say age indeterminate what do you mean? Is he the stereotypical white bearded wizard from start to finish? Would it make sense for him to look like that in his first appearance if he's only in his late thirties? I would think he would appear a bit more youthful and not ancient and timeless.

Yeah, I literally played him as the classic white beard and use Nicol Williamson in the movie Excalibur for how he acts.

Well in the Game Master NPC list for 485 it describes merlin as a middle aged man but it doesn't list his exact age. Personally I've always described him as such. I usually use Sam Neils portrayal of Merlin in the Merlin TV series for how he looks.

I'm starting a new thread with this question in mind. I apologize in advance if this question is better suited for another forum.

How "old" is Merlin in 485? I'm interpreting that he was probably no more than 15 in 465 at the time Vortigern brought him to the castle at Snowdon.
Actually, he was more like 5 or 6
That must make him only 36 years old or so in 485. Isn't that a bit young to be described as an "old man" in his first appearance? I mean the easy route would be to say that he uses magic to appear older, or that he doesn't appear old at all. But neither of those explanations are all that satisfying.


He would have had to have been born in 440 or earlier to even qualify as "old' much less a white bearded ancient looking fellow. And that would have meant he would have been too old to have been a boy at the time Vortigern was building his castle as Snowdon. So how do I solve this discrepancy?

The obvious route would be to portray Merlin as a younger man in the time of Uther but this really steals away from the iconic white bearded old wizard that's apparent from the very first quest. Maybe it would be an interesting portrayal but then again it might make him lose some of his ancient Majesty.

He is a shape changer, and so he appears at whatever age he wishes. I am not being glib here. He tricks people throughout the literature by changing shape pretty often.

Yeah, I literally played him as the classic white beard and use Nicol Williamson in the movie Excalibur for how he acts.

Thats pretty much what I was initially thinking. He was fairly middle aged for that role so it works out well. However I still feel like I should depict him as aging over the course of the game. He's only around till 517 right? That probably won't even be one player generation.



Well in the Game Master NPC list for 485 it describes merlin as a middle aged man but it doesn't list his exact age. Personally I've always described him as such. I usually use Sam Neils portrayal of Merlin in the Merlin TV series for how he looks.

This is also a great choice. I haven't seen that series since I was a kid. Time for a marathon.



Actually, he was more like 5 or 6
:o But....but now he's not even that much older than the player knights!


He is a shape changer, and so he appears at whatever age he wishes. I am not being glib here. He tricks people throughout the literature by changing shape pretty often.

This is sensible. I'd think at once he'd appear as a grimy goatherd, a small child, etc, but then he would have a normal "form" which (according to what information i'm being given) would be youthful in appearance. Maybe it would be worth it to play Merlin as a young mystical fortune teller with strange powers than a wizened old court wizard.

This is sensible. I'd think at once he'd appear as a grimy goatherd, a small child, etc, but then he would have a normal "form" which (according to what information i'm being given) would be youthful in appearance. Maybe it would be worth it to play Merlin as a young mystical fortune teller with strange powers than a wizened old court wizard.

We tend to be fixated on visual images from tv and movies
plenty of modern literature has him younger
See The Crystal Cave, for instance

I have never thought about his age. He is a druid and an enchanter. In my mind he is more fey than human and does not age the same way as normal humans do. So he usually looks like a middle aged man, either in 485, or 510.

I also heard a story that merlin is aging backwards. So he could look like an old man in 485, and be much younger in 510. ;)

I also heard a story that merlin is aging backwards. So he could look like an old man in 485, and be much younger in 510. ;)

You're most likely joking but I may run with this just to mess with my players heads. :D

You're most likely joking but I may run with this just to mess with my players heads. :D


Actually, he's not joking. In T H White's "The Once and Future King" Merlin is, indeed, ageing backwards. Or so he claims.

You can also use the idea that Merlin ages more quickly than normal due to having an incubus or demon for a father, so that he becomes (outwardly) an old man earlier. (The French Merlin romances state that as a baby, he matured more quickly than other infants, and certainly was able to speak far earlier - they even tell how, while still a baby, served as his mother's defense attorney when she was put on trial for having a child out of wedlock and won - if through such unorthodox methods as revealing that the judge himself was illegitimate, followed by the judge's real father, who happened to be in the courtroom, running out and committing suicide in alarm.)