Magic Internet

[With a box]

is there a cost efficient way that build fast information delivery service throughout prime material?

[eggynack]

I don't know about internet, but it's possible to put together a reasonably efficient telecommunications system. The basis is the spell whispering sand from sandstorm. You get everyone to carry around one pound bags of sand, and then anyone with the spell can setup a call, for a decent period of time, with multiple sand holders. For folks without casting, you can also set up call centers, equipped with folks who can cast the spell, and they can just include the caller and a number of recipients on the call in question. Basically, anyone with any kind of access to 3rd level druid or wizard spells, which could even maybe be through items, can ultimately send information to anyone else in the world. Seems like a workable solution to me, and not all that inefficient from a cost perspective.

[EisenKreutzer]

If you can construct an arbitrary number of golems, you can construct a commoner railgun which allows for near instantaneous communication across unlimited distances. If these golems are Fine or smaller, you can bury them in tubes, effectively creating a wired network of communication not unlike the telegraph system.

[Emperor Tippy]

Sure, there are multiple viable methods of doing it with the best one varying depending upon specific needs and resources.

At the one extreme you have a network of Ice Assassins linked with permanent Telepathic Bonds with a central hub, mind switched into boxes, and with the ability to cast Permanent Image and then control it. Getting video is a bit more difficult but that works for all text needs.

Then there is using an Ice Assassin of a Spellweaver with the feat Mindsight to run a real time communications network between everyone within a thousand mile radius. Network them and you can easily cover the planet.

Then you have the use of multiple Ring Gates to cut the distance between terminals down to nothing.

From there it gets more exotic and complicated (the Mindrape network, for example, where Mindrape is the input/output method).

[Bullet06320]

From there it gets more exotic and complicated (the Mindrape network, for example, where Mindrape is the input/output method).

anything I can post, pales in comparison

but dragon magazine 327 pg 66 modern magic has items that would compliment and work well for this idea, magic versions of parcel delivery system, internet maps, cds, camera, video phones, and a pda

[OldTrees1]

Sure, there are multiple viable methods of doing it with the best one varying depending upon specific needs and resources.

At the one extreme you have a network of Ice Assassins linked with permanent Telepathic Bonds with a central hub, mind switched into boxes, and with the ability to cast Permanent Image and then control it. Getting video is a bit more difficult but that works for all text needs.

Then there is using an Ice Assassin of a Spellweaver with the feat Mindsight to run a real time communications network between everyone within a thousand mile radius. Network them and you can easily cover the planet.

Then you have the use of multiple Ring Gates to cut the distance between terminals down to nothing.

From there it gets more exotic and complicated (the Mindrape network, for example, where Mindrape is the input/output method).

Can't you just give the Ice Assassins an Image<->Text algorithm to cause the Telepathic Bond to send "Video" via Image->Text->Telepathy->Text->Image?

[Emperor Tippy]

Can't you just give the Ice Assassins an Image<->Text algorithm to cause the Telepathic Bond to send "Video" via Image->Text->Telepathy->Text->Image?

Sure but then you get into quibbles over intelligence and memory.

[OldTrees1]

Sure but then you get into quibbles over intelligence and memory.

Can't those be solved/bypassed with more Ice Assassins per Screen?

(Obviously I am avoiding the "Telepathic Bond can transmit images as well as words" argument)

[With a box]

Sure but then you get into quibbles over intelligence and memory.
But they will have int 25+ so it won't problem .

[Kane0]

Enchant a box so it has rudimentary sentience, you will likely need something along the lines of animate object, awaken, etc.

Make sure it can perform calculations and pick a language for your network to use. Draconic is good for example, but you could go with binary for a closer real world comparison.

Link in other items of permanent ghost sound/silent image for a monitor and speaker set, and something else to allow the user to issue commands. Make sure you have aeans of translating to and from your specified language/dialect.

So now you have a basic 'computer', able to understand commands given to it and spit out a result in a form a user can interpret. More specific and complex functions would require more investment and likely more enchantmets where appropriate.

Step two is connecting them. Youll need a more powerful box to regulate the little ones (like a node) or a system of speciic boxes that do that job amongst them (routers, modems, etc). These approaches can be combined if you wish, and is in some cases preferable.
The connections themselves will probably be a permanent telepathic bond or some other means of telepathy between your machines (which may or may not be stationary)

Note this isnt cheap at all and would require a lot of DM okaying, but sounds fun right?

[Pilo]

Why do not use Dvatis?

Have a few dvatis with a level in Mindbender or an other way to communicate and place them in the same place.

Use the other twins as end link as dvati share one mind and every knowledge.

[Milodiah]

Oh dear. Are you the Tippy, of whom the legends speak?

This will be fun.

[Psyren]

Commoner Railgun to transfer literal data packets

[Milodiah]

Commoner Railgun to transfer literal data packets

Commoner Commoner Railgun, in which the data packet being transferred is Steve the courier.

[OldTrees1]

Commoner Commoner Railgun, in which the data packet being transferred is Steve the courier.

Isn't talking a free action? We don't need a railgun we just need a line of talking commoners within earshot(even on a 1)

[Sian]

Isn't talking a free action? We don't need a railgun we just need a line of talking commoners within earshot(even on a 1)

With enough redundancy (more Commoners, with each commoner within earshot of several Commoners), it should work even then.

fits the theme as well since the Internet have a lot of redundancy allready

[OldTrees1]

You're forgetting something. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_whispers)

The IRL internet has solutions for that in its code. Copy paste those solutions to the commoners.

[Sith_Happens]

Sure but then you get into quibbles over intelligence and memory.

Ice Assassin Fine Animated Object logic gates, duh.

[Milodiah]

Honestly, I'm so much happier about the idea of the Internet being made out of wee little men who bucket-brigade other wee little men across the world that I'm going to just go ahead and pretend that's how it works now.

[Fax Celestis]

The real question is, is 3.5 Turing-complete? The answer is yes.

By using magic aura and detect magic, one can emulate binary. Once you can emulate binary coding, you can emulate a computer. Then it just becomes a matter of scale.

Once you manage the issue of scale, you can make a real internet.

[Jack_Simth]

is there a cost efficient way that build fast information delivery service throughout prime material?
Define cost-efficient, and define how much optimization you're willing to stomach, please. There's tricks for getting costs to pretty much zilch, but those are generally considered TO.

A Wizard or Sorcerer could potentially use Improved Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#improvedFamiliar) to get a loyal Mirror Memphit (Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, I think it was - note: Same CR, same basic type of creature, and same size as the already-listed Ice Memphit, and per Improved familiar: "Almost any creature of the same general size and power as those on the list makes a suitable familiar.") and could thus have the familiar make copies of an arbitrary Lantern Archon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/archon.htm#lanternArchon) every day for a really long time for at-will greater teleport messengers all over the place under the Wizard's Familiar's absolute control. That's the cost of one feat, doable by a 7th level Wizard. Hand a written message to Lantern Archon, describe location to leave the message, Archon Teleports, drops message, returns. Assuming you've already written the message, the elapsed time is about twelve seconds... no receipt mechanism is needed. Mind you: There's no particular reason to use the lowly Lantern Archon. At a caster level 8 Simulacrum, a Trumpet Archon, Hound Archon, Babau, glabrezu (particularly useful to copy, as they grant follow-up Wishes 1/month), Hezrou, Maralith, Nalfeshnee, Succubus (particularly useful for it's ability to look like a standard humanoid), Vrock, Barbed Devil, Bearded Devil, Bone Devil, Erinyes (particularly useful for the at-will Minor Image to better relay stuff), Horned Devil (Persistent Image this time), or Ice Devil (also Persistent Image), or almost anything else that has an at-will Greater Teleport and 16 or less hit dice. Note, of course, that if the Mirror Memphit familiar first makes copies of arbitrary Mirror Memphits (a simulacrum of an advanced-to-8 hit die Mirror Memphit is... a standard mirror memphit, minus the ability to heal and advance), production is sped up greatly, but at the cost of a loss of direct control (Familiar makes a Mirror Memphit, and that one makes a mirror memphit, and that one makes a mirror memphit, and so on... you can get as many as you have rounds in a day... but there's a catch: The Familiar controls exactly one Simulacrum at the end of the day, and that one controls the next, and that one controls the next, and so on. Any one of those Simulacrum get killed, and you've lost control of all it's subs if you haven't gotten the recursive orders exactly right, or if the Int-10 creature doesn't relay the recursive orders quite right... ever played Telephone?).

[The Random NPC]

You could use regenerating trolls as your bits.

[mabriss lethe]

It also seems like there might be some use for the Autohypnosis skill for this. Specifically the part where it allows them to reproduce text or images.


Memorize
You can attempt to memorize a long string of numbers, a long passage of verse, or some other particularly difficult piece of information (but you can’t memorize magical writing or similarly exotic scripts). Each successful check allows you to memorize a single page of text (up to 800 words), numbers, diagrams, or sigils (even if you don’t recognize their meaning). If a document is longer than one page, you can make additional checks for each additional page. You always retain this information; however, you can recall it only with another successful Autohypnosis check.

[Milodiah]

It also seems like there might be some use for the Autohypnosis skill for this. Specifically the part where it allows them to reproduce text or images.

I'm not all that familiar with the 'mundane magic' though, is there a spell that allows you to transfer that information to paper or another person at broadband-Internet speeds? Obviously the point where that breaks down is when it's time for the information to actually be output, it would be a major negative if you had to sit there and wait for Johnny Mnemonic here to recite it or write it down. It would be like every Google search result was narrated to you by an overworked coke fiend, since they'd probably be heavily encouraged to make it as fast as possible.

[Extra Anchovies]

You could use regenerating trolls as your bits.

Indeed. With enough trolls, you can replicate binary (or send yes/no messages). If the troll's memory moves with it, a few ranks in autohypnosis (as already mentioned) would allow transmission of complex messages.

[mabriss lethe]

Though it seems like autohypnosis would be better as a long term storage medium, possibly with an elan (or other practically immortal creature) to serve as a hard-drive.