Ethereal Plane

Overview

The Ethereal plane is a plane of swirling proto-matter coexisting alongside the Prime Material plane, touching the Prime at all points (Think of a cup of gravel as the prime material plane. The Ethereal plane is the water that swirls in between and all around the gravel inside the cup). The Ethereal is the cosmic "glue" that binds together the Prime Material and inner planes. It also contains the stuff that new demi-planes are made of. It is a roiling, chaotic plane filled with swirling fogs and shadowy shapes in various degrees of solidity. Travelers and the few natives that exist in this plane appear semi-solid as well, and nonliving objects can pass through each other easily.

A visitor deep within the plane may find himself completely surrounded by colorful mists, or in areas that resemble small towns on misty fog-bound evenings. There is gravity in the sense of an up and a down direction, but the ethereal visitors can move in all directions freely. Visitors and other objects are supported by the ethereal medium, so that unsupported objects do not fall in the Ethereal plane, despite the existence of a down direction. The traveler in the Ethereal consists of the same base material, and therefore has the same density, as his surroundings. A traveler can move forward, backward, up, or down by parting the vaporous medium at will.

The Ethereal is unique among the planes in that a visitor can exist simultaneously in both the Ethereal and another plane, in a region of the Ethereal plane known as the Border Ethereal. The Border Ethereal is explained below and is considered part of the Ethereal plane (the "edge" of the infinite plane). The non-Border parts of the Ethereal are referred to as the Deep Ethereal.

The Ethereal can be thought of as a great ocean, so that a traveler can wade along the beach (in the Border Ethereal), alongside familiar lands, or journey across the Ethereal ocean (the Deep Ethereal) into new lands. All discussion in this section applies to individuals anywhere in the Ethereal plane, unless otherwise noted as being solely for the Border or Deep Ethereal.

The Ethereal plane is used as a means of travel from the Prime to the inner planes, which include the elemental, para-elemental, and quasi-elemental planes, as well as the Positive and Negative Material planes. The Ethereal also provides access to the demiplanes.

Reaching the Ethereal Plane

The Ethereal plane (and the realms beyond it) can be most easily reached via magical items, such as Oil of Etherealness or Armor of Etherealness. These and similar magical items place the user and those items he carries into the Border Ethereal, that place where the Prime and Ethereal meet.

There are are no specific spells designed to put the traveler into the Ethereal plane, though several spells serve the function. The clerical Plane Shift can enable the target to enter the Border Ethereal, while the magic-user Vanish spell can send an object into the Deep Ethereal. An enterprising spell caster can utilize the Leomund's Secret Chest spell as a method of travel, but must either bring the smaller chest with him (negating any chance of returning by that method), or have a caster back on the Prime willing to call the chest back. ln either event, the Leomund's Secret Chest spell sends its chest (and contents) into the Deep Ethereal.

The psionic ability Ethereal Traveler permits the user to enter the Ethereal plane.

A traveler becoming ethereal slowly disappears from view, taking a round to fade away, whether entering the Deep Ethereal or the Border Ethereal. The ethereal traveler is invisible for as long he remains in the Ethereal plane; when he leaves the Ethereal plane, he rematerializes in one round in the next plane on his itinerary. A traveler returning from the Ethereal plane can take actions and attack others in the Prime plane, but cannot disappear again into the Ethereal until the following round. The most common example of this are creatures with phasing abilities such as Phase Spiders. They reappear and deliver their deadly bites in one round, but require the next round to return to their invisible and ethereal state.

Border Ethereal

The Ethereal is unique among the planes in that a visitor can exist simultaneously in both the Ethereal and another plane, in a region known as the Border Ethereal. The Ethereal can be thought of as a different frequency than that of other planes, like the Prime material, however, some elements of the Ethereal "spectrum" overlap with the Prime Material much like frequencies can interfere with each other.

The Ethereal plane is accessible at every point of the Prime Material plane it touches, so there are no free-standing ducts, gates, or portals. Rather, the entire Prime is bordered by the Ethereal; those who walk along this border can interact with creatures on the Prime plane.

A traveler standing in the Border Ethereal can see into the Prime plane, but he is still an ethereal being.

Subjective time flows for the traveler in the Border Ethereal as for the plane he is viewing. In the Border Ethereal with the Prime material and outer planes, subjective time flows at the same rate as true time.

An individual in the Border Ethereal is invisible to those in the bordering plane, although he can be detected from that plane by means of the detect etherealness or detect invisible spells. Such a traveler revealed would appear as a smoky, translucent shade. Travelers in the Border Ethereal are visible to others in the Border Ethereal.

Individuals in the Border Ethereal cannot verbally communicate with inhabitants of the plane they border, nor can they use equipment, items, or spells to attack individuals in the plane they border. Likewise, inhabitants of the other plane cannot attack beings that are in the Border Ethereal. Certain spells, such as phase door and dispel magic, can bring the beings out of the Border Ethereal and into the other plane.

Border Ethereal creatures can attack each other, and they can be attacked by creatures that have attacks capable of reaching into the Ethereal plane.

Travelers in the Border Ethereal can move through the plane they are bordering without problem, moving vertically or horizontally at will without need for support. They travel at the speed they would move on that plane given their usual movement abilities.

The traveler in the Border Ethereal can move through solid matter in the plane he borders without ill effects in most cases. Stone can be breached without creating an opening, and the ethereal traveler can pass through a wall of fire or volcano unscathed, provided it is on the other plane. Damage that extends into the Ethereal plane does affect the ethereal traveler.

The dangers of invisible individuals walking through walls via the Border Ethereal have not been lost on the powers that live in the planes adjacent to it. Three things in the plane bordering the Ethereal hinder movement in the Ethereal: certain spells that detect and ban the ethereal, dense metals, and living beings.

Spells that affect movement and creatures in the Ethereal plane include Glyph of Warding and Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound, which both detect and attack ethereal creatures. Of a more permanent nature is an alchemic mixture containing gorgon's blood that, when mixed with the mortar of a building, prevents ethereal and astral creatures from passing through the walls. This last potion usually costs 10,000 g.p. from a reputable alchemist.

Dense metals also prevent passage by those in the Border Ethereal, so a targe collection of gold or plates of lead can be used to ethereal-proof an area. Any metal denser than gold can be used, though this is often an expensive proposition. This method also allows dwarven and human miners to discover new veins of dense ore by sending scouts in the Border Ethereal through the surface. The type of material found cannot be determined in this fashion, however, and unlucky miners may dig up an ancient, sealed tomb of a fell power.

Living beings (at least those above the one-celled level) generate an aura that prevents passage by ethereal beings. Thus a guard outside the door of a room whose walls were built with gorgon's blood in the mortar prevents ethereal passage. This aura radiates about a foot in all directions, so that it is possible to pass under or over living guards. Because of this aura, a traveler cannot materialize partially inside the body of an opponent, or leave a weapon where it will remateriatize into a living creature. Plants also radiate this aura, so a vine-covered cottage is also immune to ethereal visitors.

A traveler in the Border Ethereal sometimes may be forced to regain his physical form inside an existing object. (This usually occurs because the spell or potion has expired or a Dispel Magic has been cast upon the traveler.) Liquids, gases, and flames part to allow the traveler entrance, but solid objects resist such intrusions. A traveler reappearing inside a solid object must roll a saving throw vs. death magic. Failing that save results in the physical destruction of the traveler; success plunges the traveler into the Deep Ethereal, where he is unconscious for d4 true rounds. Several travelers reappearing together are sent to different areas of the plane. Those who suivive the trauma remain ethereal until they choose to enter another Border Ethereal, at which point they become non-ethereal and emerge into the plane they have chosen.

The plane adjoining the Border Ethereal is visible to the ethereal traveler, but neither clearly nor to great depth. All colors are reduced to shades of grey, so that dark green and dark blue are identical blacks, while tomato red is grey and bright yellow is white. Furthermore, sight into the plane adjoining the Border Ethereal is limited to 120 ft. in daylight, and may be further limited by available light in that plane. A traveler with infravision or ultravision will be able to see normally (up to 120 ft.), but someone with an ethereal light source would not (the light from an ethereal lantern does not reflect off non-ethereal objects and thus it does not illuminate objects in the other plane).

Spells in the Border Ethereal work under the restrictions for the entire Ethereal plane, as far as affecting other ethereal creatures. No spells cast on the Border Ethereal can affect the plane that it adjoins, with the exception of certain divination magics.

While the traveler in the Border Ethereal faces a number of problems in this region of the plane, he is free of the greatest danger of the Ethereal: the ether cyclone.

The traveler may choose to leave the border region of the Ethereal plane for the depths of the plane itself. This may be desirable to escape pursuit or a powerful foe, or to reach the inner planes and demi-planes. A traveler can only reach the plane that he is now bordering. A traveler desiring to venture deeper into the Ethereal merely wills it so. An individual who witnesses this process sees the traveler stepping back into a roiling mist, which then closes in on itself. The traveler is now in the Deep Ethereal, facing a curtain of vaporous color.

Into the Ethereal Plane - Curtains

Unless bodily flung into the depths of the Ethereal plane (by a vanish spell or trying to enter a plane inside solid matter), a traveler begins his sojourn in the Ethereal at a curtain of vaporous color. These curtains are the boundaries between the Deep Ethereal and the Border Ethereal. To continue the ocean analogy, the curtains are shoals and reefs out in the ocean that warn of landfall ahead. As long as the traveler remains on the Ethereal side of the curtain, he cannot be harmed by any forces in the Prime or inner planes. Upon stepping through the curtain, the traveler is in the Border Ethereal.

The curtains of vaporous color appear as huge hanging sheets that are continuously agitated by the forces between the planes. Lights and pixie fire dance across their surfaces. The traveler can enter a curtain by willing so and can leave it behind by a similar act of will. The color of the curtain indicates the plane the curtain conceals:

Survival in the Ethereal Plane

Breathing

ln the Ethereal plane, physical objects are converted into their Ethereal equivalents - metal to ethereal metal, flesh to ethereal flesh, stone to ethereal stone, etc. A living body can then breathe the ethereal air in a normal fashion. Since ethereality permeates the entire plane and all substances within, a character cannot be smothered by ethereal stone, nor drown in an ethereal lake. The ethereal body can still be affected by gas attacks, such as Stinking Cloud and Cloudkill, that are cast in the Ethereal plane.

Time

The effects of time for metabolic and other natural processes take place 10 times slower than on the Prime. For every 10 turns that pass on the Ethereal plane, the effects are as if a single turn has passed for the character. For example, a traveler using Oil of Etherealness (considered a potion) usually can become ethereal for 4+d4 turns. Rolled randomly, he can stay ethereal for six turns (one hour). The traveler fades into the Deep Ethereal, where for him 10 hours pass before the oil loses its potency. lf he remained in the Border Ethereal, the oil's effectiveness would end after one hour.

lf an ethereal effect ends while a character is in the Deep Ethereal, he is immediately forced through a randomly rolled curtain of color. He enters this Border Ethereal and immediately is cast into the plane that it borders.

Aging occurs at the subjective rate for ethereal travelers, so that a Ghost's attack would not age 10-40 years, but take d4 years off the lifetime of the target. Similarly, a Potion of Longevity would only restore 10% of the years lost.

Food and Drink

The ethereal body requires nourishment as does the traveler's normal body, but at only 1/10 the rate as the normal body. Ten true days pass before the ethereal body feels the effects of one (subjective) day without food or water. ln the Deep Ethereal, wayfarers have setup caches of food and drink, and one or two demi-planes are used as oases for travelers.

Gravity

Unlike the Astral, the Ethereal has a definite sense of up and down. But the ground and the traveler are made of the same substance, so it is impossible to fall in the Ethereal Plane.

Direction

There is no north or south in the Deep Ethereal plane, though the Border Ethereal obeys the laws of the plane it is adjacent to. The only form of direction is toward and away from a certain plane, but after moving out of sight of the curtain, this too becomes hard to judge.

Vision

The Ethereal plane is a thick soup composed of ethereal matter, so that sight is limited as if looking through a dense fog. Clear vision extends to about 300 ft., with murky shapes beyond. Encounter distances in the Ethereal plane are 240-360 ft., though if one side has surprise, it may evade or lay in ambush for the others. As the bodies of beings on the plane are at the same temperature as the surroundings, infravision does not function. Ultravision works normally. For vision in to other planes, see the notes on the Border Ethereal.

Movement

Movement in the Ethereal is accomplished by wishing to go somewhere. An ethereal traveler moves as fast as he would unencumbered on his home plane (regardless of his degree of encumbrance).

A character moving along the outer edge of a curtain of vaporous color can cover greater distances without the effects of time in the Ethereal borders. However, it is almost impossible to find the correct path along the outside edge of these curtains. The shifting nature of these curtains prevents the traveler from determining the correct direction, so that while an ethereal visitor may travel along the undulating curtain the correct distance, the direction is random.

In game terms, when a character is following the curtain's edge, the DM rolls a random direction for his game map on an eight-sided die(1 = north, 2 = northeast, and soon clockwise around the compass rose). This is the actual direction in which the character moved. Each move requires another roll.

lf a character sets out away from the curtain of the plane, that traveler should have an idea of where he is going. lf there is no clear destination, the character has random encounters as he adventures across the Ethereal. If the traveler has a set destination across the Ethereal plane, use the following method to determine time of travel (in true time):

• 10-100 turns to a free-floating cache or demi-plane entrance
• 10-100 hours to a curtain
• 100-1,000 hours to a specific area of a curtain (such as a wizard's outpost located in the Elemental Plane of Water)

Heading for a specific portion of a curtain indicates the traveler has previously been to that location, has viewed it by magical means, or possesses directions (in the form of a map of the plane being reached) or a full description (this is very unreliable and the travel time is multiplied by d6). Success in reaching a specific part of a realm places the traveler within 10 miles of that location.

Some areas of the curtains that expect extradimensional guests, such as the aforementioned wizard's outpost, leave caches and guards outside the curtain to identify friends and keep out invaders and riff-raff.

lt is common for powerful mages, clerics, and psionicists to cover great distances between known locations in their worlds by entering the Deep Ethereal for a familiar point or waystation (10-100 turns required) and then heading for a specific part of their plane's curtain (another 100-1,000 hours).

The time to reach another plane does not depend on how fast the character is moving (though he must be moving). While time is the limiting factor in traveling in the Ethereal plane, movement is necessary; a traveler cannot enter the Ethereal and wait in relative safety until the necessary time has elapsed.

lf it is determined that 40 turns of travel are needed to reach a supply cache, then 40 turns of continuous movement is required with the supply cache as a goal. This time is true time, not subjective time. Stopping after 20 turns (were the party to investigate another curtain they encountered, though not if they were attacked by creatures) would not leave 20 turns of travel. lnstead, since the Ethereal is a shifting and ever-changing place, a new roll must be made to redetermine the time to the cache (the travelers may have more than 40 turns of travel to go after stopping!) While normal movement rates do not affect the time required to move to another location in the Ethereal, they come into play in tactical situations, including combat and evasion.

Encounters in the Ethereal Plane

Encounters in the Border Ethereal occur according to the time and encounter matrices of the plane it borders. Encounters in the Deep Ethereal may occur every four hours (1 in 10 chance),or whenever someone steps through a curtain into the Deep or Border Ethereal.

Explanations of Encounters

Normal Encounter: These encounters occur when an ethereal traveler first crosses the curtain into the Border Ethereal. The encounter is as for the plane the Border is adjacent to. If the encountered monster can detect or affect individuals in the Ethereal plane, there is an encounter; otherwise the ethereal individual is ignored.

Monster Encounter: In the Deep Ethereal, the traveler encounters an ethereal creature, including natives, other travelers, or powers en route to another plane. ln the Border Ethereal, the traveler may encounter an ethereal creature or may instead encounter a creature from the adjacent plane that can detect and attack ethereal individuals.

Ether Cyclone: The ether cyclone is one of the most poweriul forces in the Ethereal plane - a sinuous, serpentine column that spins through the plane, casting all loose material (such as travelers) aside as it goes. The effect on ethereal matter is to distort the ethereal forms, up root them, and carry the debris for leagues before depositing it, often within the confines of a curtain of vaporous color.

Ether cyclones come up abruptly. Fifty percent of the time travelers receive d6 rounds of warning; the other 50% of the time they get no warning at all. The warning sign of anether cyclone is a deep hum in the ethereal matter underneath, as portions are ripped away by the approaching storm. If the traveler cannot reach a safe haven, such as anotherplane, demi-plane, the Border Ethereal, or a curtain, he suffers the effects of the storm.

Those caught in an ether cyclone may suffer the following effects. Roll for each group caught in the cyclone.

lf characters are blown through a curtainin to the Border Ethereal of the Prime or a hospitable demi-plane (one that supports the party's continued existence without further spells), each member of the party must make a saving throw vs. spell. Success indicates the individual remains in the Border Ethereal. Failure indicates the individual has been flung back into the Prime plane or demi-plane and is no longer ethereal or invisible. Travelers blown through a curtain into one of the inner planes or an inhospitable demi-plane stop in the Border Ethereal and are not transported into the plane. ln some cases, such as in the demi-plane of Time, the Border Ethereal is dangerous in its own right.

Combat in the Ethereal Plane

Combat in the Ethereal plane is dictated by the fact that everything is made of almost equally-dense ethereal matter. An ethereal sword's edge means little in damaging an ethereal body, while ethereal armor provides little protection as well. Living bodies are surrounded by energy auras that prevent their dissolution or dismemberment. ln addition, it is possible to attack from above and below as well as from the sides.

ln the Ethereal, normal weapons inflict no base damage on other Ethereal creatures. Normal weapons include the following:

• Nonmagical weapons
• Magical weapons that are no longer magical
• Weapons of silver, iron, or other nonstandard Prime plane materials

The base damage is the standard amount of damage for a weapon (such as d6 for a short sword). Normal weapons in the Ethereal plane inflict 0 points of base damage, but the wielder adds his bonuses from Strength and Dexterity and his weapon specialization or weapon of choice. This, is because though the materials of weapon and target are similar, the power and skill of the wielder is important. This limitation applies equally to thrusting, cutting, and blunt weapons.

Magical weapons inflict their normal damage in the Ethereal plane. This category includes the following:

• Weapons that retain at least a +1 enchantment in the Ethereal plane.
• Weapons that are living creatures, or the natural armament of living creatures (fists, claws, spikes, breath weapons). (Natural weaponry inflicts this extra damage because of the aura that surrounds living beings.)
• Weapons that have had Nystul's Magical Aura cast upon them while in the Ethereal plane (the best place to do thIs is in the Border Ethereal, as the duration is then extended by a factor of 10 in the Deep Ethereal).
• Weapons that are made with material coming from the inner planes (a bottle of elemental Fire, or a club of elemental Earth).

The fact that the weapons are usually the same density as their surroundings affects missile fire as well. Normal missiles, including ordinary missiles shot from magical bows or crossbows, have only short range. Beyond this point, the missile slowly comes to a halt and hangs in the swirling ethereal fogs. Magical weapons have their full range, but see the limitations under vision to determine maximumrange.

Poison does not harm an ethereal individual as long as he is in the Deep Ethereal plane, as the elongation of subjective time allows the body to deal with all but the most potent forms, though the poison remains in the body. A character who is poisoned must still make a savingthrow, but if this is failed he does not perish until he passes into the Border Ethereal of another plane. If the target receives a Neutralize Poison before entering a curtain of vaporous color, then the poison's effects are negated.

Fire, cold, and other magical energies can damage the ethereal body, provided they are ethereal themselves. Acids, oils, and holy/unholy water are similarly effective.

Armor is affected in a manner similar to weapons. Normal armor is ignored, so that a character in nonmagical fullplate, or field plate would have an AC of 10. Dexterity bonuses apply for reducing AC.

Combat tactics are affected by the Ethereal in that opponents can be overhead and below as well as alongside. ln addition to front, flank, and rear attaks, a combatant may be attacked from above and below as well.

Attacks from above negate shield bonuses, but the target is considered shielded if wearing a magical helm.

Attacks from below are considered attacks from rear for all purposes, including the thief Backstab ability.

A target of size S can be attacked by a maximum of eight other size S creatures, six size M, or three size L. A target of Size M can be attacked by a maximum of 12 size S creatures, eight size M, or six size L. A target of size L can be attacked by a maximum of 18 size S creatures, 12 size M, or eight size L creatures at one time. This assumes that there is sufficient space around the target for all attackers to fight (the target is surrounded).

Nets, mantraps, and other restraining devices only function in restraining an opponent if they are magical in nature, by the definition of magical weapons above.

Finally, normal healing does occur on the Ethereal plane, but at the subjective rate of 10 times slower than on the Prime plane. lnjured individuals can rely on necromantic means for regaining lost hit points, or they can retreat to an area of the Border Ethereal (or the plane beyond that border) for healing.

Magic in the Ethereal Plane

Spell-casting in the Ethereal Plane

The Ethereal plane places no general restrictions on spellcasting other than making it hard to see the target. If a spellcaster has etherealized versions of the required spell components, he should have no difficulty in casting spells.

All spells that create restraining devices, such as Web and Wall of Iron can be passed through by an opponent moving the ethereal matter out of the way. Those that inflict damage, such as Blade Barrier or Wall of Fire, still harm the traveler.

Spells are limited or increased in effect as noted below:

Abjurations

Agjurations are the most severely limited spells in the Ethereal plane because of the viscous nature fot he plane itself. Only the most basic spells in this category function.

• Priest spells of 4th level and above do not function.
• Wizard spells of 5th level and above do not function.

Notes

• Creature that are native to the Ethereal Plane are not considered summoned in respect to a Protection from Evil spells (or others like it).
• The Astral Spell does not function in the Ethereal Plane, as there is no access to the Astral Plane (except through an ether cyclone).
• Spells such as Control Weather and Control Winds can be used on the ether cyclone, provided that they are cast before the ether cyclone reaches the spell caster.No spell casting can be done in the ether cyclone.
• The Vanish spell does not function while the caster is in the Ethereal plane.
• Gaze Reflection can affect those creatures whose perceptions reach into the Ethereal plane.

Conjurations/Summonings

Conjurations cannot summon an entity from the Prime Material, Outer, or Astral planes.

Notes

• Dust Devil and Aerial Servant fnction normally, as they summon creatures from Elemental Plane of Air, one of the permitted adjacent planes.
• Animal Summoning spells do no t work, as they summon creatures from the Prime material plane. Similarly, Conjure Animals does not function because there are no such creatures native tot he Ethereal or the other permitted planes.
• Spells that call upon or sumon great powers, such as Limited Wish, Wish, Alternate Reality, and Gate work only if the Power called upon is a native to one of the permitted planes.
• The Leomund's Secret Chest spell functions in the Ethewreal, but it places the chest in question in an different part of the Ethereal from the caster's initial location.
• The Enchant an Item spell works in this plane, but the time requirtements are for subjective time (10 times longer then the Prime Material plane). Such enchenmtents are therefore possible, but involve considerable time and thus more risk that something will disrupt the process.
• The spell Weather Summoning functions in the Ethereal. However, the only possible weather change is to summon an ether cyclone, which affects all in the area.

Divinations

Divination spells are the only group of spells that function differently in the Deep Ethereal and the Border Ethereal. These

spells do not function against ethereal targets, but divination spells can be cast while within the Border Ethereal against targets in the plane adjoining that border. The results are seen only by the caster.

Notes

• A Detect Magic fails to detect any magic if cast in the Ethereal plane on an ethereal target. It performs normally if cast from the Border Ethereal on a target in the adjacent plane, but only the caster sees whether the item is magical or not.
• A caster in the Prime plane can detect an ethereal observer by a Detect Magic if the traveler was traveling by magical (not psionic} means.
• The spells Contact Other Plane and Commune with Nature function everywhere in the Ethereal plane.
• The spell Commune works only if the Power being contacted is native to the Ethereal or, if cast while in the Border Ethereal, is native to the plane the caster is adjacent to.

Enchantments/Charms

All enchantment/charm spells perform normally if there is a suitable medium to enchant.

Notes

• The Spike Stones spell functions normally if the Priest has an amount of ethereal stone to work with.
• lf a druid encounters an animal in the Ethereal, he can cast an Animal Friendship spell on it.
• Creatures tire at a slower rate, so the Sleep spell, though it still functions, places affected creatures under its enchanted slumber for only d6 rounds (less if awakened).
• The Sink spell performs normally, but a victim sunk in ethereal ground can be easily recovered, even though still under the effects of the temporal stasis of the spell.

Evocations/Invocations

All such spells function with the following limitations:

• Priest invocations only work if the deity is reachable from the Ethereal plane (i.e., is on one of the inner, demi-, or Prime Material planes).
• Materials created by evocations are made of ethereal matter and have the properties of that matter Spiritual Hammer functions only if the Priest's deity is on an inner plane, Prime plane, or demi-plane or is a native of the Ethereal plane.
• A Web, Wall of Stone, Wall of Iron, or Wall of Force spell forms its structure out of ethereal matter, which a foe can move through by merely willing the material to part. A foe can similarly move through a conjured Wall of Fire, but suffers damage as per the spell. The Bigby's hand spells cannot stop an opponent, but those that normally inflict damage still do so in the Ethereal.
• Instantaneous forces, such as a Fireball or Lightning Bolt, inflict normal damage.
• A Cloudkill spell creates an ethereal cloud of poisonous gas. Those travelers failing their saving throw suffer as if poisoned.
• The Shield spell strengthens the bodily aura, and thus functions normally.
• The Astral Spell does not work in the Ethereal, as the two planes have no normal connections.
• The Dig spell excavates the usual area of ethereal matter, but those caught in it, or at its edges, do not fall into the hole - they are supported by the ethereal air taking its place.

Illusions/Phantasms

Illusionary spells use a bit of the Ethereal plane itself, bending it to the will of the caster. For this reason, items created by lllusion/phantasm spells function normally, but do not disappear when the spell lapses, concentration ends, or the illusion is touched. Rather, the illusion gradually loses its sharp edges and mobility and joins the landscape of the Ethereal Plane. lt remains thus, radiating a dim magical aura (undetectable), until dispelled lllusion/phantasm spells cast on living objects function as they do in the Prime plane.

Notes

• An illusionist creates a Phantasmal Force of a large ethereal dreadnought. When the illusionist stops concentrating, the figure stops in place and slowly fades and weathers like stone exposed to the elements.
• An Audible Glamer spell continues to exist after its spell duration has elapsed, though it becomes softer and softer unitl it is in audible.

Necromantics

Casting the various curative and hamrful spells is not hampered in the Ethreal plane, but any time-based effects (such as a period required to rest) proceed at subjective time. This means that, as a general rule, all times required are extended by a factor of 10. This extension spplies even if the individual is brought out of the Ethereal into a plane where the effects of time occur more rapidly.

Notes

The Cure Light Wounds spell is unaffected by the above rule, as it requires no time for rest.

A Raise Dead spell can be cast in the Ethereal, but a raised character must rest 10 days for every day he was dead. Likewise, the Resurrection spell also functions in this plane, but the casting cleric cannot perform other actions for 10 days for each level of person resurrected.

The Clone spell works in the Ethereal plane, but the growth time is measured in subjective time - 20d4 subjective months - to grow.

Magical Items

Magical items from the Prime plane operate under the following restrictions:

• Weapons are reduced by one plus to the attack and damage rolls. A long sword +2, +3 against reptiles becomes a long sword +1, +2 against reptiles. Exceptions are those weapons with pluses against specific Ethereal or ethereal affecting creatures (such as an arrow of gorgon-slaying). The bonuses and abilities of these weapons remain unimpaired.
• Magical armor and protection devices are similarly reduced by one plus for Armor Class and saving throw bonuses.
• Magical items that duplicate specific types of spells operate under the same restrictions as those spells. ln particular, scrolls that provide protection from other creatures are useless in the Ethereal, as this magic is overwhelmed.
• Magical items that reach into extradimensional space function normally.
• Magical items and devices that call on powers more than one plane removed from the Ethereal plane do not function in the Ethereal.

Demi-Planes in the Ethereal

Large globs of proto-matter swirl about in the Ethereal, gathering other proto-matter, until a critical size is reached. At that time, the matter begins to pull away from the plane, growing its own Border Ethereal around it. This mass of proto-matter becomes a demi-plane.

Demi-planes are planes still in the formation process. They do not have a set place in the cosmography of the planes. They are not inner planes, though they exhibit some of those tendencies. Nor are they small Prime planes, although some are not hostile to Prime Material life. Some demi-planes fall in on themselves and break up, others merge with an inner plane or Prime Material plane. When they merge with other planes, they immediately become part of the larger planes and are subject to all the laws that govern those planes. Sages say that if a demi-plane grew large enough, it could envelope a large portion of the Prime, or separate to form its own universe. Rounding up evidence to support this supposition is hampered by a lack of permanence in the ethereal medium.

Each demi-plane operates on its own rules; gravity, vision, material make-up, and inhabitants all vary. Regular rules for spell effects may exist, but no one has figured them out as of this time (Most spells have not yet been tried on these new planes.) The only guarantee is that each demi-plane is a finite area where rules breakdown.

There are four named demi-planes. Three of these have been visited in known history; the fourth may be only a legend.

The Demi-Plane of Shadow

Is the largest of these planes, and is constructed of equal parts of the Positive and Negative material planes. It is a murky realm filled with shadow monsters, some of which have earthly incarnations (see Shadow Dragons). Illusionists make use of this plane when they engage in the Shadow Walk spell. It is possible that natural ducts could be opened up in the shadows of the Prime Material plane. The curtain surrounding this demi-plane is silver.

The Demi-Plane of Time

Is almost as large as the demi-plane of Shadow, though its terrain has yet to be mapped. lt is hostile to life, and its temporal manipulations extend in to its Border Ethereal, such that some of those who return are hideously old or d10 years younger than when they entered (with the appropriate changes in appearance, knowledge, and abilities). The natives are inaccurately known as Time Elementals (a misnomer since they are not natives of the inner planes). The curtain surrounding the demi-plane of time is translucent with shadowy shapes visible beyond.

The Demi-Plane of Electro-Magnetism

Is also called the Electro-Magnetic plane. This plane is dying as its substance is slowly sucked into the quasi-elemental plane of lightning. Most of the laws of the plane of Lightning are followed in this demiplane. Scholars believe it is a matter of eons, even centuries, before it is completely absorbed. The only known natives of this plane are the Shockers. The curtain surrounding the demi-plane of Electro-Magnetism is copper colored.

The Demi-Plane of Imprisonment

Is only hinted at in the legends of those who are themselves legends. Legend says that a dark and chaotic force, evil beyond the pits of the Nine Hells, once dominated this region of the dimensions. The forebears of the beings known as the Great Powers of all alignments defeated this creature and its servants and sent them in huge hunks of matter spiraling into the Negative Material plane. But the destruction was not complete, and legend says that far beyond the realms traveled by sentient beings, there are large demi-planes still ruled by the irreparably evil creatures. The color of this plane's curtain is unrecorded - travelers are strongly cautioned against investigating vaporous curtains that do not match known colors.