Additional books (including the adventures obviously) can be used by the DM. Books I will certainly be using include (but are not limited to):
Going to do without this for the time being, as this is very much a "pick up and run with it" campaign. If players want to write up backstories for their characters after a while then I'll consider a small award, 200xp or so. Basically I'd prefer that any player writes a character story based on how they play the character, not play their character as to how they wrote the story.
100xp per session covered. A "journal" entry needs to be at least 8k of text (no waffle).
When a character dies the player gets to create a new one, 1 level lower than the deceased. New characters start with the amount of money listed in the DMG, with the proviso that no more than 25% of that amount can be spent on any one item.
Will use the gods listed in the PHB to choose who they worship.
Will use the costs from the 3.5 PHB for scribing additional spells into their spellbooks.
Is set in the City of Freeport, an independent maritime city-state located in a small island chain known as the Serpent's Teeth. Freeport is infamous as a city of pirates and adventure and is known far and wide as a place to come to gain fame and riches, hence it is your destination. The campaign begins at sea though, on the merchant ship Alarielle, you are either passengers or working to earn your passage, but the ship has been at sea for several days now, so will all roughly know one another.