Sprite

Sprites, known in their initial, un-prototyped form as Kernelsprites, are entities released from the Cruxtruder by a player getting started in their SBURB session. If the player has not yet entered the Medium and they complete a single, normal prototyping, the sprites will appear as simplistic floating heads. Prototyping a Cat plush would show a cat head.

Sprites are meant to serve as a player's guide, but they also have functions important to a session. Despite serving as a guide, sprites cannot accompany their players through Gates until they have unlocked the ability to do so. At this point, the sprite gives the player a pendant, which they can then use to summon and communicate with the sprite. Without the pendant, communication is limited to a 100 foot radius around the Sprite.

Purpose
Combining the kernelsprite with inanimate objects, living, or formerly living beings, is a process known as prototyping. In this process, the objects or beings become the sprite. The sprite or the individual(s) prototyped are given access to a wealth of knowledge about SBURB, their corresponding player's personal quest, and other related knowledge. The Sprite's ability to convey the information is limited by intelligence of the sprite, which is decided by whatever is prototyped. They are supposed to be cryptic about the information, only revealing it in vague statements, riddles, or when they think it is appropriate. They are, however, perfectly capable of being direct with the information. Sprites do have holes in their knowledge of SBURB, most notably in regards to the Denizens and the Choices they offer.

Along with guiding the player, they can also aid in combat, possessing the ability to create beams of energy and/or objects which can be used as an attack. They can also possibly heal the player or telekinetically pick up objects. The nature of their abilities is determined by the prototyped objects. Sprites can sometimes conjure up structures and items for non-combative purposes. Although being alive and corporeal, Sprites are also capable of passing through solid objects, and sometimes leave behind ectoplasm. The range of this intangibility is unknown, although it would be reasonable to assume they cannot pass through 10+ feet of material.

A prototyped sprite, upon entering the Medium, will divide into a kernel and a sprite, and then the kernel will also divide in two, carrying the prototyping data to spires on Prospit and Derse. The data modifies the Underlings players face and the Royals of the light and dark kingdoms. Because the sprite only splits upon entering the Medium and never again, only the prototyping done before entering the Medium will affect the Underlings and Royals.

A sprite entering the Medium also causes the the Battlefield to grow, with each entry of a prototyped sprite causing it to grow further. The final form of the Battlefield can only be reached by all players prototyping at least once before entry, as the final form of the Battlefield is required in order to grow the Genesis Frog and thus win the game.

Void sessions
A session with no pre-entry prototyping is called a void (or dead) session. The Prospit and Derse of the session will be notably missing spires. In such cases the Kernelsprite is unaffected by entry and instead the kernel disappears upon prototyping.

When a single player attempts to initiate a session, a sprite's role as a guide is discarded, and instead it serves as the player's entry mechanism. This replaces the need for a Cruxite artifact, and the player enters the Medium when the Sprite collapses into a black hole and transports the player's entire home planet into the session.

Prototyping
As stated before, prototyping is where an object, living organism, or dead organism is combined with the sprite. Each individual sprite can be prototyped twice*, but they only need to be prototyped once prior to entry to make a session viable. The second prototyping can still be undertaken post-entry, but with the kernel gone, the information will not be dispersed.

In order to be prototyped a sprite needs to have direct contact with an object or organism- brief or accidental contact does not count; touching the core of the sprite, or full-body contact, appears to be necessary.

While inanimate objects appear to act as templates for the sprite affecting its behavior and personality, living or deceased beings do not merely act as a template for the sprite to imitate, but rather literally become the sprite, with the deceased being resurrected, including bringing the soul back from the afterlife. The Kernelsprite and all other Sprites have an affinity to be prototyped with the dead or doomed.

While the physical traits and associated abilities of prototypings are cumulative upon a sprite, the mental identities of the prototyped components are not. When people have been prototyped with animals or objects, or animals prototyped with objects, they keep their identity, with the other prototyping only influencing their instincts and some behavior. However in the case of two components of an equal "level" the two different identities are merged, like a fusion of two people.

While sprites are supposed to act as a guide to the player, a player is also capable of prototyping themselves and becoming their own sprite. This can be used to circumnavigate the normal process by which information is revealed, as well as giving the player a power boost but at the expense of having no one to assist the player for parts of the session. However, alternate selves can also be prototyped to varying effect.

What constitutes a single component is complex, as two things combined into one can count as a single prototyping, while a single component that is existing in multiple pieces can count as a single prototyping. Prototyping two separate components simultaneously also appears to use up both prototypings.

Sprites with unstable components or conflicting prototyping are liable to self-destruct.

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