Animate Mist
(Alteration)

Range:  30 yards
Components:  V, S, M
Duration:  2d4 rounds + 1 round per level
Casting Time:  1
Area of Effect:  20-foot + 10-foot per level cube of mist or fog
Saving Throw:  Special

This spell allows a wizard to shape a dense mist or fog into any shape within the confines of the area of effect. The shape can then be animated.
The details of the shape and the complexity of the animation are poor at lower wizard levels, but increase with experience. A 1st-level wizard may be able to make a humanoid shape of a given size, but couldn't make it look like a dwarf. Similarly, he couldn't animate it, but could displace it within the spell's range. By third level, the wizard could animate the shape to the point where it would resemble a dwarf (but not a particular dwarf) and could talk.
The material component is a bit of dense mist, fog or smoke. The spell can add more mist, but it can't create mist out of nothing. For example, the smoke from a fire or a fog spell would be sufficient.
Mist mages: when cast by a mist mage, animate mist has the metamagic ability of increasing the effect or potency of other spells. If animate mist is cast prior to spook, the spook can affect more creatures - usually 1 HD more -, or a -2 penalty on the victim's saving throws can be added.

