Wizard Spell Alterations (GEP)

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The swirling mists of the Ethereal have a profound effect on a wizard's spells, bending and warping them often to the point of breaking. Sometimes, however, the possibility-laden mists of the Ethereal transform a spellslinger's magic in unique ways, increasing its effectiveness or creating unique effects. Some wizards even travel through the ethereal mists simply because the plane enhances their specialty school. However, the Ethereal can alter magic in ways that are unexpected and deadly. More than one spellslinger has disappeared in the mists after casting a spell he "knew" how to control.
==Abjuration==
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Spells of this school are less effective on the Ethereal Plane due to the opposition between the school's focus and the nature of the plane. See, abjuration spells try to recant, repudiate, or limit an object or effect, but the very medium of the Ethereal Plane is fraught with possibility so that nothing is every really beyond a body's reach. Spells that deny possibility have a limited power when cast ethereally. Thus, all spells from this school function at one level lower than normal. In addition, it's impossible to cast 4th-level or higher spells from the abjuration school on the Ethereal Plane. This restriction includes powerful magical items that duplicate high-level abjuration spells. For example, a 7th-level spell from the abjuration school cast from a ring of spell storing won't function at all.
==Conjuration and Summoning==
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Because the Ethereal doesn't touch the Astral or Outer Planes, a body who tries to summon or conjure a creature or effect that originates on any of these planes fails. It's simply impossible to do without the help of spell keys. Additionally, magical items that call forth creatures from any of the Outer Planes don't function on the Ethereal. However, conjuration/summoning spells that pull creatures and effects from the Inner Planes, the Prime, or the demiplanes function normally within the confines of the Ethereal.
==Divination==
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Spells from this school are simply unavailable while the spellcaster remains upon the Ethereal Plane. Divinatory spells seek to foretell future events, thus "locking in" what will happen. Since the Ethereal mists are probability incarnate, the act of determining future events, and thereby limiting possibilities, contradicts the fundamental nature of the entire plane. If a body casts a divinatory spell on the Ethereal, it fails. It doesn't require a leap for a body to understand that items mimicking divinatory spell effects remain temporarily ineffective while they're present on the Ethereal. If a cutter really wants to use a crystal ball (or other divinatory item), he should probably move onto a nearby plane.
==Elemental Earth and Water==
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The Ethereal Plane alters wizard spells from the schools of elemental earth and water. Because spells from the school of elemental earth are designed to interact with completely solid matter, they are more difficult to cast within the swirling ethereal fogs. Thus, wizards casting spells from this school must add 2 to their casting times. In addition, creatures or objects allowed saving throws against the effects of these spells receive a +2 bonus. Likewise, spells from the school of elemental water become easier to cast in the fluid ethereal medium. Wizards casting such spells subtract 2 from the casting time (to a minimum of 1), and creatures allowed saving throws against the effects of these spells suffer a -2 penalty. No one's quite sure exactly why earth and water are the only elemental schools affected; after all, a body might think that spells from the school of elemental air are easier to cast in the ethereal fogs. However, that's not the case, and ,a blood'll drive himself barmy trying to pierce the dark of it.
==Illusions and Phantasms==
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 Table 6: Illusion Manifestation*
1d20	Change
01 	Alignment and goals are that of caster.
02 	Alignment and goals are opposed to caster.
03 	Phantasm does not age.
04 	Phantasm ages foes 2d20 years on a successful attack.
05 	1d10 mouths grow on the illusion, each able to bite for 1d6 points of damage.
06 	Moves between the Border and adjoining planes at will.
07 	Moves 10x "normal" speed while on Ethereal.
08 	Regenerates 1d10+2 hit points/round on Ethereal.
09 	Pulls objects on adjoining plane onto the Border with a successful attack roll across the Border.
10 	Phantasm can reproduce with real entities, birthing fertile offspring that possess a blend of both parents' characteristics.
11 	Can disintegrate foes on a natural attack roll of 20.
12 	Can "fling" foes (on a natural attack roll of 20) so far into the Deep that they must spend 1d100 days of travel to return to known planes.
13 	Becomes intelligent; if already so, it becomes a supra-genius (20 Int).
14 	Gains ability to speak; if it can already speak, it uses ESP 3/day at the 12th level of ability.
15 	Grows to 1d100x original size, gaining physical abil- ities commensurate with new size.
16 	Gains poisonous bite; if it has such a bite already, it gains a contact poison spit attack (1d6 points of damage, with a range of 100 feet on Ethereal).
17 	Phantasm gains link to one of the Inner Planes; it can manifest a 5-foot-radius aura of the appropriate element, inflicting 2d6 points of damage, 3/day for up to 1 turn with each use.
18 	Phantasm gains a link to one of the Inner Planes; it can breathe forth the appropriate element 3/day in a cone 5 feet wide at its base, 100 feet long, and 30 feet wide at its terminus. It inflicts 2d6 points of damage.
19 	Phantasm completely changes shape, species (if appropriate), and purpose: Dungeon Master's discre- tion required.
20 	Phantasm gains the ability to cast spells as a 6th- through 15th-level (1d10+5) mage with no need for spellbook; once spells are selected they do not change.
: * When an illusion becomes real on the Ethereal (5% chance), roll another 1d20; on a 1, the DM should roll 1d4 times on the Manifestation Table
Spellslingers who enjoy casting illusions should take note: The Ethereal Plane causes spells of this school to function at one level higher than they normally would. In addition, all saving throws against illusion/phantasm spells that cause damage are made with a -1 penalty. Furthermore, illusions/phantasms created on the Ethereal last without concentration, finally fading into nothingness once the duration of the ' pell lapses-unless, of course, the illusion doesn't fade. See, the plane sometimes causes illusions and phantasms to gain a semblance of life. In fact, there is a 5% chance that an illusion takes on a life and reality of its own beyond the caster's control when cast on the Ethereal Plane. Thus, illusionary walls could become actual obstacles, the effects of blindness spells could become permanent, and fool's gold could become valuable to more than just fools.
In addition, a damage-causing spell of the school of illusion/phantasm that turns real inflicts damage equal to its ea! version. For example, if a wizard uses demishadow magic to cast a wall of fire that subsequently becomes permanent, the spell inflicts damage as if it were a real wall of fire cast at the level of the demishadow magic.
Before a body rushes out to the Ethereal in hopes of becoming a powerful illusionist, she should understand the dangers. Sometimes, illusions-turned-real break free from their caster's control and run amok. Fact is, the semblance of living entities that manifest ethereally are unpredictable in demeanor, alignment, abilities, and even final form. Most of the time, such newly created entities aren't much different from that of their original illusory aspect. Very rarely, newly manifest creatures take on aspects that weren't apparent in the illusion cast by the spellcaster. Consult the table to the left for the exact changes made to these spell effects.
For example, some poor berk's phantom steed permanently manifests, much to the caster's surprise. What's more, the uncertain medium of the Misty Shore infuses the newly real phantasm with vacuous breath (the steed can breath forth the essence of Vacuum), the speed of a zephyr while on the Ethereal, intelligence, and lastly, an undying hatred for the caster and all the caster holds dear. The sod that engendered this creature is better off leaving the Ethereal and never returning.
'Course, not all illusions that hang around become trouble for the original caster. Sometimes they're friendly, but most often they're just indifferent. On extraordinarily rare occasions, a phantasm-given-life becomes the seed for an entirely new species native to the Ethereal. The process of adjudicating manifest illusions is subjective and requires some innovation on the part of the DM.
===The Rule of Fær
A Clueless sod named Hazen of Magecliff cast a phantasmal killer on the Ethereal Plane, and the Ethereal transformed the spell effect into the most horrible beast a a body'll ever see. What's worse, this monster, called Fær by its creator, gained sentience and new power in its transformation. It's now a force to be reckoned with by any sentient creature on the Ethereal, no matter how powerful.
Fær wanders the reaches of the Deep, bringing its frightful "blessing" to any being it encounters. It's possible that Fær may even employ agents, ruled through fear alone, that kidnap more victims for its purposes. Fær's lair is made within the tumbling rib cage of a huge dragon that succumbed to its power. 
Fær manfests to each individual as a personal terror, but it's no less real for all that. A body who sees Faer'll most likely flee headlong in terror-and she should. See, the mere touch of Fær kills its foe out of pure fright. And unlike Fær's originating spell, this creature doesn't stop if a sod disbelieves its existence, or possesses magic resistance or psionic enhancements.
Fær attacks as an 8-HD creature, and its malleable form (which flows from horror to horror as easily as one word follows another in a sentence), can seep through most barriers. Cutters who've had a brush with Fær and lived to tell about it claim that the phantasm can't be harmed by weapons, and that it appears invulnerable to magic. Though these may be simple stories told by those scared to their wit's end, it's possible that Fær possesses such protection. If this is really the case, the only way to stop the creature is to lure it off of the Ethereal, where its protomatter essence will quickly disintegrate.
==Spells that Access the Astral==
Spells (and psionic effects) that allow a basher to transport onto or contact the Astral Plane don't function on the Ethereal Plane. See, the Astral and the Ethereal have no natural connection, and spells specifically designed to transfer a body between the Prime and the Outer Planes or the Astral Plane can't work on the Ethereal; nor can they function on Inner Planes or some demiplanes, for that matter.
Effects that fall into this category include astral projection, duo-dimension, find familiar, and probability travel. Spells not specifically designed to access the Astral (such as teleport without error) function normally if a cutter tries to move from the Ethereal to the Silver Void.
==Ethereal Spell Keys==
Sometimes it's possible for a canny spellslinger to learn the particulars of a plane's alterations and to adapt her spellcasting to those conditions. Thus, a mage with a spell key can cast spells normally on a plane where such magic is altered or even completely ineffective. However, the use of these very rare keys adds 1 to the casting time of a spell. Ethereal spell keys resemble small disks of stable protomatter that allow a mage to cast all spells normally while on the Border or in the Deep Ethereal. There're also keys that allow a 'slinger to cast spells from a specific school, as well; these specific keys look slightly different from each other, each bearing a hint as to the school of magic that it affects.
'Course, Ethereal spell keys aren't available to any berk who wants one. A body has to search long and hard to find even a rumor of such a thing, and even then there's no guarantee that she'll actually locate a spell key.