James Jacobs

James Jacobs is an American designer and author of role-playing games and texts in the fantasy, horror and the occult genres.

Career Jacobs has been involved in the role-playing industry since the age of sixteen, when his adventure "Scepter of the Underworld" was published in Dungeon #12 in 1988. Jacobs grew up in Point Arena, California, and went to college at the University of California, Davis.

He moved to Seattle after graduating from college and worked his way into Wizards of the Coast's sales department. Jacobs has been the developer, lead designer, and sometimes cartographer on releases for Bastion Press, Green Ronin Publishing, Wizards of the Coast, and Paizo. He also wrote Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss with fellow Paizo editor Erik Mona.

Jacobs became the associate editor for Dungeon magazine, and later became the managing editor for the magazine. Jacobs is the Creative Director for the Pathfinder Adventure Paths-focused monthly publication from Paizo. He also wrote "Burnt Offerings", the adventure featured in Pathfinder: Rise of the Runelords #1.

Among Jacobs' other writings is the "Demonomicon of Iggwilv" feature in Dragon magazine, and he has contributed a number of adventure stories for Dungeon. Jacobs has also created many notable Dungeons & Dragons creatures, with the ulitharid, draknor, and the kaorti among the most prominent.