R.A. Salvatore

Robert Anthony Salvatore (b. 1959) is a prolific American sci-fi and fantasy author, specialising in stories on contract in other people's settings, particularly the Star Wars expanded universe and D&D's Forgotten Realms.

Before we get into the skub we must note our boy did the in-game chat for the multiplayer bots in Quake 3; and he wrote the Cleric Quintet.

Salvatore is most "famed" in /tg/ for gifting to us, Icewind Dale (not Vale); including Drizzt Do'Urden, drow ranger and potato farmer extraordinaire. That means we have him to thank (alongside Peter Jackson) for every Legolas-like, special snowflake, lilac eyed-white-haired (dark)-elf-with-a-heart-of-gold since the mid-early 90s. Especially after the Dale ended up in Forgotten Realms, already Ed Greenwood's skubestan. The shield surfing is all on Jackson, though. (Although to be fair, the problem with Drizzt has more to do with shitty players making endless mary sue Drizzt clones than anything related to Drizzt himself.) Because of the Search For More Money, Salvatore went on to sketch out an entire drow city, Menzobarranzan, heavily modeled on Erelhei-Cinlu from That Other D&D Setting.