Ethereal Plane

The Ethereal Plane is a misty, fog-bound realm. It is one of the most common ways to travel from the Material Plane to the Inner Planes.

Geography

Border Ethereal

The edges of the Ethereal Plane that overlap with the Material Plane are known as the "Border Ethereal." From the Border Ethereal, creatures can see into the Material Plane, but that plane appears muted and indistinct with its colors blurring together and its edges turning fuzzy. Conversely, the Border Ethereal is invisible to creatures in the Material Plane, unless they have access to a magical ability to see into the Ethereal Plane.

For example, when a creature is in the Border Ethereal of a planet such as Toril, they can see other creatures, items, terrain and more out to 60 feet on that planet on the Material Plane. Only certain types of creatures, such phase spiders and ghosts, have an ability to freely move between the Ethereal and Material planes without the aid of magic, allowing them to ambush creatures on the Material Plane.

Deep Ethereal

The depths of the Ethereal Plane are known as the "Deep Ethereal" or "Elemental Chaos." Creatures within the Deep Ethereal are engulfed by roiling mist and swirling elements. Curtains of color exist in the Deep Ethereal, and passing through these color curtains leads creatures to specific Inner Planes based on their colors.

Localized Phenomena

Visibility: Visibility is limited in the Ethereal Plane. Creatures within the Border Ethereal can typically see out to 60 feet, and those within the Deep Ethereal are limited to just 30 feet of visibility.

Gravity: The Ethereal Plane disobeys the laws of gravity. Creatures can move up and down as easily as walking. Objects released from possession hover where they were dropped.

Travel: When traveling within the Ethereal Plane for any extended length of time, it's impossible to measure distance and difficult to track the passage of time. Distance is essentially meaningless, and creatures feel as if they move from one point to another through a simple act of will.

Type

Dimensional plane