| Sprites | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Realm |
 Nature | |
| ||
| Spell Rarity | Common | |
| Casting Cost |
 100 | |
| Upkeep Cost |
3 per turn | |
| Research Cost |
 220 | |
| ||
| # of Figures |
 4 | |
| Moves |
 2 | |
| Melee Attack per figure |
 2 | |
| Ranged Attack per figure |
 3 | |
| Defense per figure |
 2 | |
| Resistance |
 8 | |
| Hit Points per figure |
 1 | |
| ||
|
 Forester | ||
Sprites are a type of Fantastic Unit featured in Master of Magic. They belong to the Nature Realm, and may be summoned using a Summoning Spell of the same name. Sprites make up good scouts thanks to their Flying ability, and though their combat skills leave something to be desired, they can be very effective in large numbers. They tend to be more useful during the early game.
The Fantastic Unit[]
Physical Description[]
Sprites are tiny humanoid creatures, possibly less than a foot in height. They have the ability to fly, using two large butterfly wings on their upper backs. Sprites appear to have blue hair, and are otherwise completely naked. As they fly, Sprites leave behind a shimmering blue trail, probably magical in nature.
The Sprites unit is a Multi-Figure Unit, containing up to 4 of these creatures.
Attack Properties[]
Sprites have a mediocre Ranged Attack with a power of 3 per Sprite. Due to the magical component of their attack, as well as an innate 
+10% To Hit bonus (see below), Sprites can do some damage even in very-long-range combat. Unfortunately though, they may only use this attack 4 times in each battle, and after that must resort to Melee combat at a pitiful 2 per Sprite – and thereby cease to make any meaningful contribution to the battle.
In large groups of course, as often encountered in Ruins and Nodes, Sprites can cause a great deal of damage before they can be hunted down and destroyed.
Defensive Properties[]
It is exceedingly easy to lose Sprites whenever the enemy does manage to attack them. They only possess 2, and 1 per figure, meaning that any attack made against the Sprites has a significantly high chance of killing one or more of its 
figures. Any competent enemy unit should be able to destroy a pack of Sprites with ease. Therefore, they work best when their opponents cannot fight back at all (e.g. when fighting against enemy non-flying melee combat units).
Other Properties[]
One of the Sprites' best qualities is their ability to Fly at a speed of 2. This not only helps them perform as excellent scouts on the overland map, but also aids them in evading their enemies in combat. The Sprites can safely pummel 
Walking enemies with Ranged Magical Attacks until they run out of ammo.
Note that the Sprites' high 8 makes them hard to affect with Unit Curses or other maledictions.
Enemy Sprites[]
Sprites often appear as neutral monsters, mostly in low-level encounters like Ruins and easy Nature Nodes. They will sometimes appear in very large groups, in which case they can destroy an army of low-level Normal Units or at least significantly hurt them – but pose little danger to experienced units. On higher Difficulty levels, or in tougher Encounter Zones, Sprites are often accompanied by War Bears.
The Sprites' Flying ability makes them a little tougher, but once they run out of ammo for their Ranged Attacks they can be dispatched quite easily. Units with Ranged Attacks of their own may be able to shoot them out of the sky early in the battle.
Ability Overview[]
Ranged Attack x4[]
- This unit may use a Magical Ranged Attack instead of a Melee Attack 4 times in each battle. Once the unit's ammo is expended, it must resort to Melee Attacks.
+10% To Hit[]
- This unit has an extra 10% chance to hit its target with every die of its Attack Rolls. This improves its statistical chance to inflict more Damage with each attack it makes.
Forester[]
- This unit may move through any Forest tile at a rate of 1 Movement Point per tile.
- When this unit is stacked with other units, the entire stack may move through Forest tiles at a rate of 1 Movement Point per tile.
The Summoning Spell[]
Usage[]
Sprites may only be cast overland, for the base Casting Cost of 100. Upon successfully casting the spell, the new Sprites unit will appear in the Town currently containing the Wizard's Summoning Circle, with full Movement Allowance, and may move and/or attack immediately as necessary.
To keep the Sprites in play, its controller is required to pay an Upkeep Cost of 3 per turn. This is drawn automatically from the caster's Mana pool at the beginning of each turn while the unit exists. Failure to pay this Upkeep due to lack of Mana will lead to the Sprites immediately disappearing, along with any Unit Enchantments currently affecting it. However, this upkeep is for the unit, not for the spell: Summoning Spells can not be dispelled by the enemy once cast.
Naturally though, if the unit is destroyed, then it is gone from the world entirely, and there is no further need to pay its Upkeep Cost. Units summoned on the overland map may also be dismissed manually from their unit statistics window the same way as any other overland unit (during their controller's turn, while not in combat).
Acquisition[]
As a Common Spell of the Nature Realm, Sprites may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least 1 Spellbook. With none, the spell can naturally not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it.
The base chance for Sprites to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 30% (with 1 book), which gradually increases with the amount of Nature Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With 7 or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of 220, although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, Conjurer, and/or Nature Mastery Retorts; or a bookshelf containing 8 or more.
Sprites may also be selected as a starting spell by any Wizard with at least 2 books. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins.