Ethereal plane The Ethereal plane was one of the planes of existence in various models of cosmology . Ethereal Plane in the Great Wheel Model . In the 1st and 2nd edition D & D , as explained by the Great Wheel cosmology model , the Ethereal plane existed adjacent to the Prime Material Plane and connected it to the Inner plane s ( the Elemental planes plus the Energy planes ) . The Ethereal touched the Prime at all points through what was called the Border Ethereal . The non - Border region was called the Deep Ethereal . While in the Border Ethereal , a traveler could still see into the adjacent plane but only dimly and not very far , whereas those on the bordering plane could not see the traveler without magical detection . Verbal communication was not possible between the Border Ethereal and the bordered plane . The Ethereal was unique among the many planes in that an individual could exist in two planes simultaneously : the Border Ethereal and the adjacent plane . When a traveler crossed into the Border Ethereal , she and all her possessions were converted to their Ethereal equivalents , metal became ethereal metal , flesh became ethereal flesh and so on , allowing free movement ( in most cases ) in any direction through the solid matter of the adjacent plane . Since everything was permeated with ethereality , an air - breathing creature could breathe ethereal air and could not drown in an ethereal lake nor be crushed by an ethereal rock . However , not all in the adjacent plane was insubstantial . Living things larger than one - celled animals generated an aura that radiated around them and prevented passage to their interior , so an ethereal traveler could not place a weapon inside a living creature where it would materialize and cause damage . A jungle would be an extremely torturous maze to navigate ; it would be much easier to float above the vegetation or pass below its roots . Dense metals such as lead or gold also prevented passage of ethereal matter . And finally , some magic spells and alchemical mixtures could form an effective barrier . Travel in the Ethereal and Border Ethereal was accomplished by force of will — you wished to go somewhere and you did , at your normal rate of movement . There was a sense of up and down but no real gravity existed . Objects released from possession would hover where they were dropped ; it was impossible to fall in the Ethereal plane . To get to another plane , one had to pass through a " curtain of vaporous color " into the Deep Ethereal , then traverse that region until reaching the curtain that demarcated the Border Ethereal of the destination plane . Each Inner plane and demiplane had a curtain with a unique color . The Prime Material plane ' s curtain was turquoise . If the ( usually magical ) ethereal effect wore off while a traveler was in the Deep Ethereal , he would immediately be forced through a random curtain at a random location in the Border Ethereal and deposited on the plane which it bordered . When you passed through a curtain into the Deep Ethereal , time slowed down to one tenth the rate it flowed in the Border Ethereal and the plane that it bordered . For every ten hours spent in the Deep Ethereal only one hour passed on the other side of the curtain . Metabolic and other natural processes slowed down also , so it did not feel like ten hours , when you crossed back through a curtain into a Border Ethereal you were only an hour older and an hour hungrier . The Deep Ethereal swirled with large blobs of proto - matter ( imagine a cosmic ) which could form a demiplane when a critical size was reached . Powerful wizards , technologist s , or demigod s could also bend the proto - matter to their will and create a demiplane . These nascent planes might exhibit some of the characteristics of the Inner planes or the Prime , but with their own rules of gravity , material make - up , etc . , and even support life . Most demiplanes eventually collapse into themselves and break up or merge with another Inner or Prime Material plane . Ethereal Plane in the World Tree Model . In the World Tree cosmology model , roughly coinciding with 3rd and 3 . 5 edition D & D , the concept of the Border Ethereal was dropped and the Ethereal Plane became one of the transitive planes that coexisted with the Prime Material Plane . Like the Great Wheel version , ethereal creatures and travelers could see into the Prime , but not the other way around . Unlike the Great Wheel version , you could pass through all solid objects , including living creatures , and you could hear the Material plane . The Ethereal Plane was mainly accessed by spells such as " blink " , " etherealness " , and " ethereal jaunt " . A " phase door " spell could be used to create a passage through the Ethereal , and " Leomund ' s secret chest " could temporarily stash a container in the Ethereal . The Ethereal Plane had the following traits in the World Tree cosmology model : Certain creatures dwelled primarily on the Ethereal Plane . Examples of these include ghost s and ethereal marauder s . Others can become ethereal virtually at will , such as thought slayer s and phase spider s . Ethereal Plane in the World Axis Model . In 4th edition D & D , according to the World Axis cosmology model , the Ethereal plane no longer exists ; it was destroyed by the Spellplague .