Sentient Items and Immovable Rods

[Eugenides]

Just had a crazy idea, but I am largely unfamiliar with the extent to which magic can do things in 3.5 (I've always just sort of gone with "whatever the hell you feel like, if you're high enough level.")

Basically, would it be possible to make a sentient swarm creature out of immovable rods? Maybe have telekinesis allowing it to push buttons and move rods at will, but effectively just being immovable rods?

If not, is there a way that a creature could serve as a nucleus and use some form of magic to manipulate several hundred immovable rods around it for teh same effect?

[Renen]

I think it could be possible.
Animate the rods. Give them limited intelligence. Use hive mind.

[Phelix-Mu]

Sounds like a cool toy for some spellweavers, kind of in keeping with their magical technology flavor, if you are looking for a creature to control/create said swarm.

[Eugenides]

I think it could be possible.
Animate the rods. Give them limited intelligence. Use hive mind.

How would one give them limited intelligence?

[TuggyNE]

How would one give them limited intelligence?

Awaken construct, likely. Or just make them an intelligent magic item to begin with.

[Eugenides]

Or just make them an intelligent magic item to begin with.
Isn't that crazy expensive, even for a really cheap one?

Though...a swarm of intelligent rods, all with similar Ego scores. Make it a hive mind. How does Ego work? Because, honestly, that'd be hilarious if the Ego score let them overpower things near them.