Ethereal Combat (GEP)

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A body'd better have a lot of friends if she has to fight on the Ethereal. See, most of the plane is a swirling sea of fog and heavy mist, lacking any solid "physical" substance, and attacks on an unprepared sod can come from above and below as well as on all flanks. The limited visibility of the plane also increases the likelihood of ambushes, as enemy creatures can pour out of the thick ethereal mist.
It's natural for some newcomers to the Ethereal to forget about the third dimension in the heat of a battle. The thing is, a basher who takes into account that she can rise and fall in addition to moving two-dimensionally has an advantage over less-adept foes. A body should think of the Ethereal as the depths of a lake or ocean. This comparison allows some to grasp the three-dimensional environment of the Waveless Sea, and to take advantage of it during melee.
For example, opponents can close from above and below, in addition to the front, flank, and rear of a foe. Normally, attacks from above or below gain a +1 bonus to the attack roll and negate the shield bonus of the defender; however, it could well be that in the Deep Ethereal, foes might each appear higher to the other, canceling out attack bonuses. Otherwise, these positions, as well as flank and rear attacks, gain the normal attack bonuses (+2 for rear attacks and + 1 for flank attacks).
Since movement comes so easily on the Ethereal (much easier than in water, for example), conflicts can range widely from their point of inception. A battle could move hundreds of yards or mo1e while it continues to rage. Thus, because of the relatively short visual range on the Ethereal, combatants could lose sight of some or of all their comrades. Particularly canny bloods might even use this property to isolate individuals of a group so that each might be more easily defeated. Once a conflict draws to a close, it can be difficult for a group to reunite again once separated by the infinite mists.
Observers watching an ethereal combat often report that two clashing ethereal figures resemble waves coming together in a prime ocean: Sometimes the waves pass through each other with little harm, and sometimes they crash into each other with destructive force, lessening portions of themselves. Fact is, on the Ethereal, individual attacks don't miss their target entirely as much as they pass through without any effect, while actual hits tear away a piece of the target's essence. If a body looks carefully, she can even see the medium of the Ethereal absorb that stripped essence for use at some future time. Some folks believe that's how demiplanes're formed; they think the islands are the collected remains of wounded ethereal travelers.