MarkB said:
I once created an Orc druid with the shapeshift variant from PHBII who had a tan Bag of Tricks. His backstory was that he used to get animal companions, but he was kind-of accident-prone with them, and they tended not to last more than a week or two in his company, for various reasons - so the Druid elders gave him the bag, and told him that these were his new animal companions. He was no less accident-prone with them, but they always came back.
That's hilarious
As far as valuable magic items go... I'll assume that the Handy Haversack and the Wand of Lesser Vigor go without saying...
The various Weapon Crystals in the MIC tend to be worthwhile, in my experience.
Depending on how low-level you are... if you're having trouble coming across magic weapons for characters who tend to fight a lot, consider a Wand of Magic Weapon. 750 gp (so, a third the cost of a single magic weapon), it lasts for a full minute, and, depending on how tight loot is and how many secondary fighters you have, can be useful for a few levels. Keep in mind that you aren't using this for the +1 to attacks and damage (or, once you get a masterwork weapon, just to damage) - you're using it to get through DR/Magic at low levels. If possible, buy a used wand at a discount price, and save it for things with DR/Magic.
I've found Dimension Stride boots to be incredibly underpriced (and therefore well worth picking up).
Bracers of Arcane Freedom are sort of a neat idea - essentially, you get Sudden Still Spell twice per day. Better know Mage Armor/Greater Mage armor, though, since they cost you your Bracers of Armor slot. A Ring of Silent Spells is also neat, especially when your third level spells are still useful - get in to the middle of a group of casters and have them totally outmatched, or use it in emergencies when you're silenced.
I'm personally a fan of the Raiment of the Four, particularly the Gloves of the Starry Sky and the Goggles of the Golden Sun, for all sorts of spellcasters. Wizards gain a bit of spontaneous casting, sorcerers don't need to use spells known on magic missiles and fireballs, bards and beguilers gain some offensive spell options... and if you wear multiple pieces of the set, you get additional benefits.
And for one choice that many may disagree with, but I think is rather useful... Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments. Yes, it requires you to put some ranks in to Craft (painting), and no, it won't instantly kill your enemies or heal you. But 4,000 gold and a few skill points to be sure that you'll always be able to get more weapons if they're sundered, create a door where none exists, or make food to stave off starvation... plus, there's always the opportunity to really screw your DM's plans up with a jar of paint. And if taking a plot way off its rails with a 4,000 gp pot of paint isn't good bang for its buck, I don't know what is.
