ETHEREAL PORTAL
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 6
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets up to one creature/level
Duration 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
Ethereal Portal creates a shimmering opening in space, 10 feet in diameter, and razor thin. You and any creature that enters the Ethereal Portal are transported along a coiling path at the edge of the Material Plane where it borders the Ethereal Plan. The path is visible upon the Material Plane to anyone who can see Ethereal, and is visible in the Ethereal Plane, for the duration of the spell, though no one can affect it or enter it who does not enter via the initial portal. You can take more than one creature along with you (subject to your level limit), but all must enter the portal before you. Once you enter the Ethereal Portal, it closes behind you and the path opens up. You must then lead the way along the portal.
In the Ethereal Realm, you move at a rate of 50 miles per hour, moving normally on the borders of the Ethereal Plane but much more rapidly relative to the Material Plane. Thus, you can use this spell to travel rapidly by stepping onto the Ethereal Plane, moving the desired distance, and then stepping back onto the Material Plane at the designated end point.
Because of the blurring of reality between the Ethereal Plane and the Material Plane, you can't make out details of the terrain or areas you pass over during transit, nor can you predict perfectly where your travel will end. It's impossible to judge distances accurately, making the spell virtually useless for scouting or spying. Furthermore, when the spell effect ends, you are shunted 1d10 × 100 feet in a random horizontal direction from your desired endpoint. If this would place you within a solid object, you are shunted 1d10 × 1,000 feet in the same direction. If this would still place you within a solid object, you (and any creatures with you) are shunted to the nearest empty space available, but the strain of this activity renders each creature fatigued (no save).
Ethereal Portal can also be used to travel to other planes that border on the Ethereal Plane, but this usage requires the transit of the Ethereal Plane to arrive at a border with another plane of reality. The transit requires 1d4 hours.
Any creatures entering the Ethereal Portal before you may make the transition to the borders of the Ethereal Plane. You cannot block access to the portal, hence it is subject to others sneaking a "ride". If more creatures enter the Ethereal Portal than you are capable of sustaining (based on caster level) the spell ends that many rounds sooner, causing you to re-emerge on the Material Plane 50 miles sooner (per round lost), along a straight line between the beginning and ending points, and 1d10 × 1,000 feet in a random horizontal direction from where it ends.
The Ethereal Portal can be kept open by the wizard choosing not to enter, but its duration still begins on the round it is cast. Anyone who is within the Ethereal Portal waiting on the wizard will find that there is no path, only a bubble of space within the the Ethereal Plane. The wizard must maintain concentration to keep the portal open. If the spell duration ends or the wizard otherwise loses concentration, those within are immediately dumped back onto the Material Plane 1d10 × 100 feet in a random horizontal direction from where they entered (or further if the subject would be in a solid object, see above).
Once you enter the Ethereal Portal, it closes behind you and the path opens up. You must then lead the way along the portal. Those with you may opt to follow you, wander off through the plane, or stumble back into the Material Plane (50% chance for either of the latter results if they are lost or abandoned by you). You may also force someone out of the Ethereal Plane. This requires a Will saving throw, negating the effect if successful. Failure drops the person randomly on the world 50 miles, per round that has passed, in a straight line between the two destinations, and 1d10 × 100 feet in a random horizontal direction (or further if the subject would be in a solid object, see above).
At the end of the spell, a portal appears on the far side of the path in the Material Plane. Nothing can enter that end of the portal, but it does alert anyone on that side that someone is coming.
This spell can be made permanent with the use of the Permanency spell. Doing so requires a fixed portal of silver to be constructed at both the starting and ending points. The spell requires an activation command and duration of each instance is based on the level of the caster who creates the portal. This is considered a Wondrous Item and must be created using those rules. The advantage of the permanent version is that the spell becomes permanently accurate (you always arrive at the other end of the path). The magical item still requires the person who activates the spell to enter the portal and guide the others along its path.
ETHEREAL PORTAL, GREATER
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 8
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets up to one creature/level
Duration 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
This spell functions just like Ethereal Portal, but the range is 100 miles per hour and is more accurate. If you know the target location (having been there before), you arrive precisely where you intended to.