Making a... holocron?

[Braininthejar2]

So, due to the DM running out of ideas, a pair of military medics from Earth were dropped through a dimensional anomaly into my fantasy world.

They have with them a laptop filled with al sorts of information, and managed to Mc Guyver a power source with my alchemists lab, but It's a matter of time before the thing dies for good, and I want to preserve the knowledge.

I have that spell where you put your hand on a book, and instantly learn its contents, so I have something to start working with. I want to build something that would work like a lore gem, (though likely rather bulky, carried, rather than worn) with an ability to absorb vast amounts of data from other sources.

1 How to modify the pricing procedure / assess the required power level to get it right?

2 If taking the approach of "item GP cost represents costly components best gained through my own adventuring", what components would be thematically apropriate?

3 If I wanted to make it an intelligent magic item, how would the situation change?

[Doctor Awkward]

I would need a lot more time to dive into specifics but for starters, it sounds like major image (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/majorImage.htm) would be involved in the item creation process at some point. The item can simply cast the spell and "project" the appearance of the instructor as an illusion and for the duration it concentrates on the effect it will be standing there saying and moving however the item wishes.

And by the item creation rules, any permanent magic item (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/intelligentItems.htm#) can be made intelligent, you simply have to add the cost of the item's sentience and any extra powers in to the calculations. And major image 1/day is a lesser power so any intelligent item can have it for 1,000 additional gp to add sentience, and then 5,400 gp for the effect.

EDIT: The only place I can see you running into issues is when the "holocron" decides it doesn't feel like helping someone. In Star Wars, it would simply shut itself off. But in D&D you are looking at a contested Ego check which is a Will save for the person holding it. If they win, they activate the item and it has no say in the matter.

[Malphegor]

I’d have it be a Wondrous item...

Using Crystaline Memories as the base spell for it, to generate a crystal containing memories- user gets a bit of damage after it scans you, but creates a crystal with those thoughts.

[mabriss lethe]

Well... Some inventive use of autohypnosis could help on a mundane level. There were also those life sized creepy necromantic snow globes in Libris Mortis. (The name escapes me at the moment)edit: Husk Globes. That's what they're called

[ShurikVch]

How about the Slate Folio from Dragon #327?
It costs 7500 gp, contains up to 5 books (mundane or magical), each one up to 100 pages

https://image.ibb.co/n8WLNw/Slate_Folio.jpg

It's a "magical PDA"

[Thurbane]

Maybe have a look at the Book of All Knowledge (CC p.142) or Tome of Worldly Memory (MIC p.190) as a guideline for items which "store information"...

[Hish]

Well... Some inventive use of autohypnosis could help on a mundane level.

If we allow an intelligent magic item to have 10 ranks in autohypnosis as a lesser power (along the lines of 10 ranks in knowledge or intimidate), it can memorize the information on the computer, then recite it later. Of course, by now the item is getting a bit expensive. 2000 gp for inteligence, 2200 for minor image so it can display the information, and 5000 for 10 ranks in autohypnosis makes 9200 gp.
Though I suppose the base magic item could be a custom item of silent image. 1000 for the base item, 1000 for inteligence, and 5000 for autohypnosis is only 7000 gp.

[Quertus]

2 If taking the approach of "item GP cost represents costly components best gained through my own adventuring", what components would be thematically apropriate?

Brains. Crystals. Crystallized brains. Brains in jars. Oh, wait... how about the laptop itself?

[Ruethgar]

An intelligent item with +20 Autohypnosis, Silent Image, Ghost Harp(Ventriloquism if you want it to be a bit more solid), Comprehend Languages, and Tongues would be able to record and display everything from a comp including programs assuming you can get a peek at their programming for it to read, memorize and be able to translate.

[Braininthejar2]

How about the Slate Folio from Dragon #327?
It costs 7500 gp, contains up to 5 books (mundane or magical), each one up to 100 pages

https://image.ibb.co/n8WLNw/Slate_Folio.jpg

It's a "magical PDA"

7500 is a bit expensive for something that won't store a single Harry Potter. With a laptop's worth of knowledge, I need to do better.

[chimaeraUndying]

They have with them a laptop filled with all sorts of information, and managed to Mc Guyver a power source with my alchemists lab, but it's a matter of time before the thing dies for good, and I want to preserve the knowledge.

Not to belittle your current approach, but is there a reason that simply casting make whole or similar on it wouldn't revert its hardware failure?

It'd still make sense to get some redundant copies of the information on it, for sure, but being able to keep the original functioning takes a lot of pressure off of that need.

[Braininthejar2]

Not to belittle your current approach, but is there a reason that simply casting make whole or similar on it wouldn't revert its hardware failure?

It'd still make sense to get some redundant copies of the information on it, for sure, but being able to keep the original functioning takes a lot of pressure off of that need.

make whole would restore the hardware, but not lost data. Also, my character is prejudiced against clerics.

[Quertus]

make whole would restore the hardware, but not lost data. Also, my character is prejudiced against clerics.

Does Make Whole on a book not restore the lost words? With pencil and eraser, they are just as transitory as the magnetic state of the hard drive, are they not? Houses and walls can be repainted - would Make Whole not return them to their current color?

This seems a bit of a rabbit hole to me, rather than being so cut and dry as you describe.

[Braininthejar2]

Does Make Whole on a book not restore the lost words? With pencil and eraser, they are just as transitory as the magnetic state of the hard drive, are they not? Houses and walls can be repainted - would Make Whole not return them to their current color?

This seems a bit of a rabbit hole to me, rather than being so cut and dry as you describe.

Well, for a book, the words are inherently a part of it. for a laptop, data is something it processes and stores - making whole a broken flagon won't restore the spilled wine.

[Quertus]

Well, for a book, the words are inherently a part of it. for a laptop, data is something it processes and stores - making whole a broken flagon won't restore the spilled wine.

Hmmm... For most laptops, the OS is similarly not inherent to the hardware, being itself just another piece of installed and updated software.

So, after thousands of years of corrosion and Make Whole, you'd have... an expensive and inefficient space heater?

[Braininthejar2]

So, for now I will build a magic laptop case to keep it in good repair.

But I will keep working on a more ambitious solution.

Do I need any knowledge beyond DMG on intelligent items to work out how to make the self-hypnosis thing work?

[Emperor Tippy]

If you want an actual Holocron, you do the following:

1) Get your physical substrate.
2) Create an Ice Assassin of a Psion 20.
3) Make sure that the IA Psion has Psychic Reformation, Fusion, Soul Crystal and Psychic Chirurgery on its powers known list along with Mind Rape (gained via spell to power erudite).
4) Use the Psionic Sandwitch trick to meld the IA Psion with the physical substrate.
5) Profit.

You order the Ice Assassin to teach whomever meets the criteria whatever it is you want.

Data can be implanted via Mind Rape, Psychic Reformation can either be used on the Holocron to have the needed skills or to rebuild the student to "learn" the new knowledge, and Psychic Chirurgery can be used to teach new powers. Or, if you want to save XP you just have the Holocron use Soul Crystal to create a Soul Crystal Fusion and then have the user use Fusion on the Holocron and thus spend the 50 XP themselves to gain full access to all of the Holocrons knowledge, skills, and powers known.

Is it what the OP asked for? No, but it is a much better Holocron ;)

For extra fun, make sure that the IA Psion has Timeless Body on its list of Powers Known along with Celerity and Foresight along with the Extend Power feat. Whenever the Holocron would take damage it uses Celerity to get the time to manifest Extended Timeless Body and thus picks up absolute immunity to everything for 2 rounds (the second of which would, just incidentally, cover the time you are Dazed.

[Kalkra]

3) Make sure that the IA Psion has Psychic Reformation, Fusion, Soul Crystal and Psychic Chirurgery on its powers known list along with Mind Rape (gained via spell to power erudite).

I'm sure this has been beaten to death on some other thread, but can't an StP Erudite only get up to 8th level spells? Are you using Sanctum Spell or Mind Mage shenanigans?

Also, make the holocron grant the user at-will Scholar's Touch. It should save time. (Holocrons are totally books.)

[flappeercraft]

I'm sure this has been beaten to death on some other thread, but can't an StP Erudite only get up to 8th level spells? Are you using Sanctum Spell or Mind Mage shenanigans?

Also, make the holocron grant the user at-will Scholar's Touch. It should save time. (Holocrons are totally books.)

Erudites have technically two bonus feats at first level, a bonus feat they can choose and psicrystal affinity. Trade one for StP, another for Favored Discipline. Both of those ACF's are in the same web archive (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070629a). I would typically houserule it to only allow the one they can choose the feat with to be changed for the ACF but at least as per RAW you can technically trade them both.

As far as adressing the actual thing at hand, I would say autohypnosis is the best way to store information.

Something like Nybor's Psychic Imprint (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20041215a) would be the best way to make a holocron IMO, that way you don't piss off anyone by making an ice assassin of them. Of course you need a way to get a single rank in autohypnosis and then the rest can be done by buffing if necessary.