Manual of the Planes

Any creature becoming ethereal (including those whouse the blink spell) in an ether cyclone immediately suffersthe effects of the cyclone. But creatures about tomove to the Ethereal Plane get a feeling that there issomething unusual on the other side if a ether cyclone isnearby. They may choose not to enter the Ethereal Planeas a result.ETHEREAL ENCOUNTERSThe Ethereal Plane is a Transitive Plane, a plane of gettingfrom one place to another. Many of the creatures encounteredhere are en route for one reason or another, thoughsome use the Ethereal Plane as a hiding spot to observe(and plot against) those on the Material Plane.The table below is suitable for typical travelers, but theDM can also use it as a springboard for encounter tablesfor specific areas by adding new creatures or changingthe percentages.On a d% roll of 93–100, characters encounter somethingon Table 5–6: Ethereal Encounters. Roll onceper hour.PLANE OF SHADOWIt is the toxic plane of darkness and power.It is the hidden place that hates the light.It is the frontier of worlds unknown.The Plane of Shadow is a darkly lighted dimensionthat is both coterminous to and coexistent with theMaterial Plane. It overlaps the Material Plane much asthe Ethereal Plane does, so a planar traveler can use thePlane of Shadow to cover great distances quickly. ThePlane of Shadow is also coterminous to other planes.With the right spell, you can use the Plane of Shadow tovisit other realities.The Plane of Shadow is a world of black and white;color itself has been bleached from the environment. It isotherwise appears similar (but not exactly identical) tothe Material Plane.The sky above, for example, is always a black vault withneither sun nor stars. Landmarks from the Material Planeare recognizable on the Plane of Shadow, but they aretwisted, warped things—diminished reflections of whatcan be found on the Material Plane. Despite the lack oflight sources, various plants, animals, and humanoids callthe Plane of Shadow home.The Plane of Shadow is highly morphic, and partscontinually flow onto other planes. As a result, precisemaps are next to useless, despite the presence of landmarks.If a traveler visits a mountain range during oneuse of a shadow walk spell, the mountain range may stillbe there the next time, but the individual mountainsmay have moved about. Precision is a lost cause in thePlane of Shadow.The terrain of the Plane of Shadow is usually similar tothe area where the traveler enters from the MaterialPlane. If a wizard travels onto the Plane of Shadow from aforest, she first sees an equivalent shadow forest. If shestarts underwater, she appears within a shadowy sea thatbehaves like a Material Plane ocean, so her water breathingspell still works. However, as she moves away from herentry point, the terrain of the Plane of Shadow changesdramatically, although it usually bears some resemblanceto the corresponding terrain on the Material Plane.Spells often draw forth parts of the Plane of Shadow, inparticular for illusions that have the shadow descriptor.The Plane of Shadow is a monochromatic world, butshadow material pulled from it can be of any color. Thespellcaster usually colors, shapes, and shades the shadowstuffto make it more convincing. A shadow evocation thatproduces a fireball, for example, appears like any otherfireball to those fooled by the illusion.SHADOW TRAITSThe Plane of Shadow is in many ways the dark duplicateof the Material Plane. Much is similar, but thereare significant differences. The Plane of Shadow has thefollowing traits.CHAPTER 5:THE TRANSITIVEPLANESpqqqqrsNEW ITEM: ETHEREAL TAPESTRYAn ethereal tapestry is a portable gateway to the Ethereal Plane.It appears as a stout oak doorframe, carved with runes, fromwhich hangs a heavy velvet tapestry stitched with metallicthread. When it is assembled and the command word spoken,the tapestry becomes a shimmering band of colors that leadsdirectly onto the Ethereal Plane. The portal stays open untilanother command word is spoken to deactivate it.While the tapestry is in operation, a portal is createdbetween the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane. Anyonewho passes through the ethereal tapestry becomes ethereal (asthe etherealness spell). They remain ethereal until they use aspell to return to the Material Plane, pass through the etherealtapestry in the other direction, or use another portal. Thecurtain from the tapestry is obvious from the Ethereal Planeside. If the ethereal tapestry is deactivated, those on the EtherealPlane must find another way back.While activated, the ethereal tapestry may attract visitorsseeking to pass through the portal and onto the MaterialPlane, including lost souls and planar monsters. Roll encountersfor the Ethereal Plane, and decide whether encounteredcreatures would pass through. An ether cyclone has no directeffect on an ethereal tapestry, but it could prevent travelersfrom using it effectively.The portal is about the size of a normal doorway (8 feet highand 3 feet wide). When dismantled, an ethereal tapestry is 10feet long, 1 foot wide, and 6 inches thick. It takes one person10 minutes to set up or take down an ethereal tapestry.Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, etherealness;Market Price: 47,520 gp; Weight: 87 lb.pqqqqrs59