Dear Diary, Today I Saved Faerûn (and Forgot Where I Put My Socks): A BG3 Mod That Gets It.
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
A new Baldur's Gate 3 mod called Tav's Journal, developed by Mazzle23, introduces an extensive in-game diary system for players to document their character's adventures with personal notes, customisation, and to-do lists, greatly enhancing roleplaying immersion. This clever mod replaces generic quest logs with unique narratives, offering features like auto-save and multi-character support, with future plans for PDF export and stat tracking.
Right then, gather 'round, mateys, because something rather brilliant (and a bit meta, if we're honest) has popped up in the Baldur's Gate 3 modding scene. If you're anything like me, you've probably had some absolutely wild adventures in Faerûn – moments that deserve more than just a fleeting memory or Larian's default 'You went somewhere and did a thing' quest log.
Enter **Tav's Journal**, developed by the rather clever **Mazzle23**. Now, this isn't just some flimsy little notepad; we're talking about an impressive, in-game diary system that lets you document your character's journey with all the glorious detail it deserves. Forget your standard quest synopses; we're talking full-on, 'Dear Diary, today Astarion called me a dullard *again*, Lae'zel tried to teach Gale how to build a shed (bless her heart), and Shadowheart wrote a Gauntlet of Shar-themed parody of 'Is This The Way To Amarillo'' kind of stuff. Oh, and probably at least 100 words a day dedicated to moaning about the squid-thing in your brain. Fair dinkum.
This mod, as reported by Mark Warren over at Rock Paper Shotgun (cheers for the scoop, Mark!), repurposes a smart tool Mazzle23 originally made for in-game mod instructions. But instead of just telling you how to install things, it now lets you craft sprawling, personal records of your adventures. Imagine looking back on a playthrough, not just seeing what quests you finished, but *what you were thinking* when you accidentally triggered that cursed idol or convinced a goblin to join your circus act (don't ask).
Naturally, it's aimed at the deep roleplayers among us, or the completionists who like to jot down every little detail they might need later. It's like taking all those physical notes you might have scrawled on a pad next to your keyboard and bringing them right into the game itself. Wanna truly get into the headspace of your tadpole-brained adventurer? You can fill out a character profile and biography section, just like you would in a physical D&D campaign. Mazzle23 boasts 'large text areas for detailed storytelling and notes,' so if you fancy writing the next War and Peace about your character's angst, you absolutely can. And don't worry about losing your masterpieces – the diaries come with their own auto-save system and you can jump between editing and read-only modes. Handy, that.
But wait, there's more! You get two kinds of to-do lists: one for long-term goals that mirrors your usual quest log, and another for day-specific tasks 'tied to particular journal entries.' I reckon that's where the real fun begins. 'Remind Gale he smells, then laugh when he cries' is probably high on *my* list. For the aesthetically-minded folks, you can even customise the look of your journal with six page themes and multiple fonts. Because, let's be honest, you can't *truly* be at one with your grumpy dwarf if you're not scrawling across a stone tablet in Comic Sans, can you?
And for those of us with multiple characters (who doesn't love a bit of alt-itis?), fear not! Each character can create and maintain their own journal simultaneously. You can even duplicate journals if you want templates or backup copies. It's a bloody impressive feat of modding, honestly. Mazzle23 is already eyeing future updates, including exporting journals as PDFs and auto-tracking in-game stats, which sounds like wizardry of the highest order.
So, if you fancy giving BG3 journaling a go and adding a whole new layer to your roleplaying, you'll need to grab both the BG3 script extender and Mazzle's EZ-Documentation. It's a fantastic example of the community pushing the boundaries of immersion, making our beloved games even richer. What a time to be alive, eh?
Tags: BaldursGate3, Modding, RPG, Immersion, CommunityContent
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun