Low-magic item help

[Romotre]

I've been running a pseudo-oriental-ninja campaign for about a year. Currently in the party is a fighter type, a monk type and a rogue type (they all have multi-classed around a bit). Things are going fine except for the magic items. It's a low-magic campaign so there aren't a lot around, but they've gone from level 3 to 12 (avg) and have found a few. Now, however, I'm running out of ideas for items. I don't want to give them ordinary-standard issue ninja-to +2 style items. I'd like to continue to be able to give interesting, useful, but not that powerful magic items. So far I've exhuasted the DMG, Relics and Rituals, Oriental Adventures (a disapointment for the most part concerning magical items but otherwise a cool book) and lots of internet sites. I'd like to avoid items that have spell-like abilities or ones that make the ninja part obsolete (like flying, invis, ethereal). currently, they have items like boots of striding and spring, monk's belt, ring of prot, amulet of luck, amulet of natural armor, the bracers of nimial and a few others i can't remember. also a bunch of items i made up (a dagger that adds to Move Silently and +1d6 when attacking an opponent unaware of you, bracers that give you snatch arrows and let you try twice/round, et cetera). With the last bit of cash from an opium bust, they bought some modified tattoos from Relics and Rituals. They have a bunch of other cool ones that i can't think of. And now, to the point. Does any have any appropriate items i could use?

Also, I dunno if its anywhere else, but rules for staking a vampire. Called shot? Str Check? Since this is a low-magic campaign, the only arcane spell casters are sorcerers. This group of vampires believes that this gift makes them entitled to unlife, so they go around and embrace all the budding young sorcs. Hehe...Fighter Will Save + Low Wis + Wis Draining Item (to fuel Str) + magic users=fun for me...

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Salutations,

Magic items:
I don't like giving out standard plus items either- and tend to make every item have a twist or flavor unique to the creator.

For example, the party has been fighting a snake man cult in the past few adventures. All the magic items from these creatures were based around fangs and poison- in fact, most items would poison the user when used. The poison was the same type as the snake men, so while the snake men would be immune.. anyone using their items would find themselves in bind.

Some specific examples for items:
A sword that did a shocking grasp on a successful hit (1/day) as long as the wielder yelled something patriotic to the empire it was created in.

An amulet of natural armor that covered the person in snake scales.

A rabbit skull they got from a vampire that gave some skil bonuses but also gave a bonus against turning attempts.

Which leads to your second question, and I came upon the same problem of how exactly one stakes a vampire. So, this is what I explained- the only way one could stake a vampire was with a successful Coup De Grace (or however you spell it). This lead to an interesting wrestling match between a monk and vampire, while a thief was trying to do the staking.

Good luck!
FD