They ' re still counting California , so . <| sep |> Both of them are free . Pathfinder has the online PRD , and 5 e DD has the Basic Rules and SRD . Either one will let you play the game with only dice or a free die roller app on your smartphone . Pathfinder is neat because if you have a character concept , rules for making a character with that kit of abilities probably exists somewhere . Character creation is a bit complex , especially if you ' re pulling rules from multiple noncore sources , but many players have a lot of fun crunching the numbers on this kind of thing . I like 5 e DD better because if you have a character concept , the rules don ' t get in your way but you may have to homebrew some rules . The Background chapter of the PHB is a great tool for players who want to make interesting characters , and the game gives you concrete mechanical benefits for your PC ' s backstory . The Dungeon Master ' s Guide is also an excellent tool , the first third of it is the best guide for homebrewing campaigns that I ' ve ever read .