James Jacobs is an American designer and author of
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
s 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.
[ in '' Kobold Quarterly'' #12] Jacobs grew up in
Point Arena, California
Point Arena, formerly known as Punta Arena ( Spanish for "Sandy Point") is a small coastal city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Point Arena is located west of Hopland, at an elevation of . The population was 460 at the 2020 ce ...
, and went to college at the
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...
.
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.
Jacobs has authored and co-authored several other products for the ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (T ...
''
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...
roleplaying game, including ''
Dungeon Master's Guide II
The ''Dungeon Master's Guide II'' is a book of rules for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' seminal fantasy role-playing game.
Contents
Like the ''Dungeon Master's Guide'', this book focuses on providing Dungeon Masters with as ...
'', ''
Lords of Madness
''Lords of Madness'' is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game.
Contents
The book includes new content for aberrations including new aberration monsters and monsters related to them ...
'', ''
Frostburn'', and ''
Red Hand of Doom''.
He also wrote ''
Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss'' with fellow Paizo editor
Erik Mona.
Jacobs and Erik Mona co-wrote ''
Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk'' (2007), a 3rd edition ''D&D'' remake of ''
Greyhawk Ruins'' (1990).
Jacobs became the associate editor for ''Dungeon'' magazine, and later became the managing editor for the magazine.
In the 2000s, Jacobs served as the
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
of ''Dungeon'' magazine, published by
Paizo Publishing. Jacobs described himself as "one of the chief architects" of the ''Dungeon''
Adventure Paths, in addition to doing some work on all of the other adventures published in the magazine.
Jacobs became the Editor in Chief for ''Dungeon'' magazine in June 2006.
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.
References
External links
Interview with Jacobs at ''The Saving Throw''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, James
1972 births
American magazine editors
Dungeons & Dragons game designers
Living people
People from Point Arena, California
Place of birth missing (living people)
University of California, Davis alumni