The Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 system, or d20 system, is alive and running with today’s Pathfinder, for players that haven’t adopted Dungeons and Dragons 4.0. If you’re looking for the original Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 rulebooks though, versus the d20 system presented in Pathfinder, you’ll be hard-pressed to pick up anything at cover value. Books are running $50+ on Amazon.com, and other big-name vendors are either out of stock, or listing with similar price tags.

One way to get around this problem is to hunt for books on eBay, which seems to be in the $30 – $40 final bidding range. Some books are going to lucky buyers for $20 to $25.

If you’re wanting to get the rules for next to nothing though, consider the online SRDs, or System Reference Documents:

• Wizards of the Coast’s Revised (v3.5) System Reference Document
• Hypertext d20 SRD
• System Reference Document v3.5 Toolbox
• Pathfinder’s SRD
• Modern d20 System Reference Documentation

You can also access Wizards of the Coast’s archives for 3.5 resources and ideas, from Variant Beholders to articles on conflicts and plot twists. It takes a little digging versus the readily available Dungeons and Dragons 4.0 resources, but they’re still in the shadowy vestiges of the interwebs!

For some additional 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons toys online, check out:

• Javascript DnD 3.5 Character Generator, with a link to a fourth edition version as well
• Turn Watcher Third Edition (3.5) Character Generator
• 3.5 Quick Reference Sheets with some handy links to 3.5 book sales at Amazon.com
• Wizards of the Coast’s 3.5 Art Galleries

Also, if this is your first time playing 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons, make sure to check out my “Your First Dungeons and Dragons Game“—and grats on your new gaming hobby!