The Inner Planes and the Border Ethereal (GEP)

__TOC__
Some cutters speak of the Inner Planes as the be-all, end-all of the multiverse. To back up such grand claims, they'll talk about how the elements're the foundation of every other plane, either directly (demiplanes and the Prime) or indirectly (the Astral and the Outer Planes). They insist that only the Inner Planes existed long ago, but tendrils of elemental power bled away and were carried through the Ethereal Plane, mixing and combining in various ways to bring about new planes. It was only through counter-contamination that "life" and sentience seeped back into the Inner Planes in the form of elementals and elemental-kin. These cutters often describe the Ethereal as the "exhalation of the Inner Planes."
'Course, this theory remains completely unproved; it may be only so much screed. However, even if the origin and truth of the Inner Planes remains dark, a body can still prepare for known conditions and dangers there.
Of all the planes in the multiverse, perhaps none are more hostile to mortal life than the realms of the elements. The Inner Planes are groupings of primal forces. Most're familiar with Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, but in truth the Inner Planes include a whole range of additional building, locks collectively known as the Paraelemental Planes (Ooze, Magma, Ice, and Smoke), the Energy Planes (Positive and Negative), and the Quasielemental Planes (Vacuum, Salt, Dust, Lightning, Steam, Radiance, and Mineral). And, Just like the Prime Material Plane and most demiplanes, these realms're surrounded by the Border Ethereal.
Travelers in the Deep Ethereal who encounter the curtain of an Inner Plane can quickly determine the exact Elemental Plane that it leads to, if they know the dark of such things. As long as travelers remain on the Deep Ethereal side "of the curtain, they are safe from elemental influences, no matter how volatile or consuming. Once a body passes through the curtain to the Border of an Elemental Plane, however, some danger may exist-even though the traveler remains on the Border and doesn't materialize on the plane. See, seepage from an Elemental Plane sometimes influences conditions on its area of the Border Ethereal.
The table to the left lists such influences by plane, where they exist. Unless noted otherwise, the DM applies the listed effect when travelers first enter the respective Border ,area, and then once for every 3 turns that they remain in the area. Whenever an effect causes a body to react "uncontrollably," she can't take any other action for the stated duration.
When bashers pass from the Border onto an adjoining plane, they lose whatever measure of protection the Border offered; a body'll face the full brunt of any conditions resident on that plane. Worse, most of the Elemental Planes aren't composed of breathable elements, so a body'll have to bring along plenty of magic to survive.
 Table 1: Elemental Border Conditions
Border Area	Effect
Air 	Winds buffet travelers, reducing movement by .
Earth 	Border mists are thickened, reducing movement by .
Fire 	Travelers must save vs. breath weapon or suffer 1d4 points of damage from the flaming mist.
Water 	Border mists have more resistance, reducing movement by .
Smoke 	Travelers must save vs. paralyzation or do nothing but cough intensely for 1d4 rounds.
Ice 	Travelers must save vs. paralyzation or do nothing but shiver for 1d4 rounds.
Ooze 	Travelers must save vs. paralyzation or do nothing but gag for 1d4 rounds.
Magma 	Travelers must save vs. breath weapon or suffer 1d4 points of damage from spattering magma.
Lightning 	Travelers with metal items larger than daggers must save vs. breath weapon each round or suffer 1d4 points of shocking damage. All others save vs. breath weapon every 3 turns or suffer the same damage.
Steam 	Travelers must save vs. breath weapon or act slowed (as per the spell) for 1 turn from the suffocating mist seeping onto the Border.
Radiance 	Travelers must save vs. breath weapon or suffer 1d4 points of damage from shafts of blinding radiance.
Mineral 	Travelers must save vs. breath weapon (with a -4 penalty) or suffer 1d4 points of damage from mineral shards that stick onto the Border.
Vacuum 	Travelers must save vs. breath weapon or gasp uncontrollably for breath for 1d4 rounds.
Salt 	Travelers must save vs. breath weapon or suffer 144 points of damage from dehydration.
Ash 	Travelers must save vs, breath weapon or suffer 1d4 points of damage from a drifting cooling cinder.
Dust 	Travelers must save vs. breath weapon or "erode" for 1d4 points of damage: travelers cannot heal this damage while on this Border.
Positive 	Travelers must save vs. breath weapon cach round or gain 1d4 hit points. If a body gains more than twice her maximum hit points, she explodes, Food, water, walls, or other matter created via magic explode in bursts of harmless light in 1d4+1 rounds.
Negative 	Traveler must save vs. breath weapon or feel 1d4 hit points sucked away; a body can't heal this damage while on this Border area. Food. water, walls, or other matter created via magic crumbles to dust in 1d4+1 rounds.