There’s something to be said for going the concept of “showing your work.” It’s easy, when we think we know something inside and out, to do the intermediary steps of a problem in our head and write down the conclusion. After all, that’s fast and simple, whereas taking the time to write things down, especially when we know them well, can be tedious and inconvenient.

The problem is that, all too often, we make a mistake in our off-the-cuff calculations, or find that we’ve forgotten a pertinent detail when we go back and review our work later on. This is natural, of course, as we’re only human, but it can still be irritating, particularly since we’ve no one to blame but ourselves.

The Character Change Log for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, from Asparagus Jumpsuit, is an attempt to make it easier to walk through the basics of leveling up characters so that nothing gets missed.

The product’s format is a fairly straightforward one. The book has twenty-two pages; one for each level (with level one having two pages) and the OGL. Each page walks you through the basic aspects of what you gain each level, leaving plenty of blank spaces to write down what you’ve gained. Each such sheet is largely the same, through the book wisely has certain level-dependent effects, such as new feats and new ability bonuses, noted when they occur.

The most salient detail to remember about this is that its name is accurate: this is a log of changes made to your character – it is NOT a character sheet. It’s certainly similar in function, and even somewhat in appearance, but whereas a character sheet is meant to display your character’s aggregate abilities, each sheet of this book is meant to record only what you’ve gained for that specific level.

Some might not see a need for such a book, and I can understand that view. However, I’ve gamed with people who’ve had to go back and frantically rewrite some aspect of their character in the middle of their game because they realized they’d done it wrong, or that they had simply forgotten something while leveling. Notes are, in my opinion, never a bad thing.

The downsides to this product are largely the compromises that it had to make in order to be universal to every class. These aren’t too bad, but you’ll likely feel the differences between using this to record the changes to a fighter versus the changes to a summoner; in fact, you may want to use another set of these sheets to record the growth of class-based NPCs, such as familiars or eidolons. It’s the cost of making a one-size-fits-all log, and while slightly inconvenient, it’s nothing that seriously compromises its utility.

Overall, I think that this is a book that is likely to be underestimated until you start using it. Being able to go back and chart your character’s growth over each level is more valuable than I think many players realize, and I certainly think that it’s worthwhile. I’d definitely recommend that players, especially new ones, record their levels in the Character Change Log.

If you are starting out with the game, or have been around the blocks a few times, this log helps you track how your character changes over time. I wish it had was a section for keeping track of significant events that happened while reaching the new level. However, trying to fit the changes for a level onto one page, might make this a bit difficult.

In full disclosure, I do know the author in an online capacity. However, if you are a fan of Pathfinder, you might find this tool to be useful. It covers from level 1 to level 20.

Where was this when I played D&D? Is there one for Savage Worlds in the works? After using this handy log, you'll wonder how you managed your characters leveling up all these years without one.

Full Disclosure: Berin is a friend of mine. That said, I don't write review for products I don't use a/o believe are worth my time.