When we were talking about Amulets of Healing in another thread, I began to put together a list of the best misc. equippable items you can find in the game. Feel free to comment:

Ring of Stars:
+4 AC, 50% vs, Mental // all races/classes
(ca. 11% drop by Chief Gari)
=> great for Lizard fighters and such

Ring of Power:
+2 AC, +2 MP reg., Restore Magic (3,4) // no FIG/ROG
(set drop by Bela, if you manage to kill him "by accident")
=> hard to get it (you need to attack opponents with ranged weapons and accidentially hit Bela until he's dead), but probably a nice item to have; you're probably better off getting some Mana Stones, however.

Cameo Locket
+4 AC, +1 HP reg., VIT +15, 30% vs. Divine // Male only
(ca. 11% chance in Rapax King's Chest)
=> great item and maybe worth it to reload your first entry into the rapax upper castle and rush to the king's chest.

Pk Crystal
+4 AC, +1 HP reg., 50% vs. Mental, Psionic Blast (4,7) // only PSI
(ca. 12% in Bayjin Regular (lvl 31+): Shipwreck chest in Shallows, beach chest in Bayjin)
=> I don't really know why Psionics need additional Mental resistance, but the 4 AC alone is A LOT for a Psionic.

Garland of Roses
+3 AC, +1 HP reg., 50% vs. Divine, Restoration (5,3) // only FIG, LOR, VAL
(ca. 2% by Hoarder Slime or in Sea Caves chest on slippery ground)
=> if you want this one, it's best to get from Hoarder Slime in the 2nd retro dungeon (i.e. save and reload)

Amulet of Nebdar
+4 AC, +1 HP/ST/MP reg., SEN -5, Power Cast +15, 10% vs. Fire/Water, 5% vs Air/Earth/Mental
Divine, Hex (6,9), cursed
(set drop by Nebdar in Mt. Wilderness retro dungeon)
=> the single best item for your main caster; the 3rd dungeon can be tough but at least it's quite linear and not such a maze like the other two

Ring of Regeneration
+2 AC, +4 HP reg., 30% vs. Divine // all races/classes
(ca. 20% in Davy Jones Locker, ca. 4% in Life chest (lvl 26+) on Ascension Peak)
=> the +4 HP is not really that important by itself, but it can be crucial if you want to equip some other -HP armor (like a Faust Halberd or the Black Gown of Death); to get it it's best to save before entring the Bayjin shallows, then sneak past Nessie and make a run for the cave once she's noticed you, check the chest and reload if necessary.

Amulet of Healing
+3 AC, +1 HP reg., 50% vs. Divine, Heal All (6,5) // all races/classes
(Mine Tunnels near lake (hidden), Marten's Bluff eastern part, sold by Crock, various random)
=> standard item for basically all characters

Gem of Power
+2 AC, Power Strike +10, 5% vs. Fire/Water/Air/Earth/Mental/Divine // all races/classes
(ca. 10% by Hoarder Slime or in Sea Caves chest on slippery ground)
=> great for fighting classes, who benefit from the resistances and Power Strike; Hoarder Slime is the best source for it

Fey Ring
+4 AC, ST drain -1, SPD +10, Stealth +20, cursed // only Elf, Faerie
(ca. 1% drop from Wind Sprites, Sea Sprites, Cliff Sprites)
=> very great for an Elf-Monk, Faerie-Ninja or the likes; you need some other +Stamina item though, and it's quite rare

Emerald Talisman
+2 AC, DEX +10, 30% vs Divine // all races/classes
(sold by Ferro, ca. 10% in Bayjin Good Chest or from Buccaneer Ghosts)
=> the better version of the Ankh of Dexterity; always nice to have.

Tinker's Carryall Bracers
+1 AC, STR +20, Locks & Tracks +5 // only GAD
(sold by Bela, various random drops and loots)
=> a very good item for the Gadgeeter, who can really use the STR bonus (for Stamina and Carrying Capacity) - at least until you get something better

Ring of the Road
+1 AC, STR +20, Superman (2,8) // only BAR
(sold by Bela, various random drops and loots)
=> like the Tinkers for the Gadgeteer

Ring Pro Magic
10% to Fire/Water/Air/Earth/Mental/Divine // all races/classes
(sold by Crock, various random drops and loots)
=> quite good if you don't need AC, but rather want to increase your resistances

Ankhs of Might/Dexterity/Sanctity/Speed/Youth
+1 AC, STR/DEX/PIE/SPD/VIT +10; "Speed" with additional Haste (4,3) // all races/classes
(Might/Sanctity/Youth: sold by Bela / Speed: sold by Crock / Dexterity: Sea Caves, Ascension Peak)
=> often those are midgame choices when you want to boost one attribute;

Amulets of Asphyxiate, Bag of Death, Ring of Sanity, Amulet of Airs, Ankh of Life, ...
=> the bonus is often quite mundane, but you can keep those for their spells only. Especially if you don't need a spell very often (like Purify Air, or Resurrection), you can choose to not learn the spells and have the item instead.

Also, don't forget:

Amulet of Life: Easier to get than Ankh of Life (can buy from Crock), 4 charges of Resurrection. It's cheaper than buying ressurection powders/scrolls, even if you don't recharge it. (You can recharge it by selling it to Lord Braffit and buying it back.) Requires 35 Artifacts, unlike the Ankh.

Amulet of Static: Early game Arnika Road find. 9 casts of Energy Blast power 6, cheap to recharge. Good for Artifacts practice, or for characters who have limited offensive options. (Early on, power 6 Energy Blast is actually decent.)

Geomancer's/Aeromancer's/Pyromancer's/Hydromancer's Ring: +10 to the appropriate realm skill. In the hands of a level 24 Bishop, this bonus makes it possible to safely cast level 7 spells at power level 7. (100 spellbook/realm skill is not enough; you need a bonus from somewhere to put a skill higher to do this.)

Stone of new life (rapax king)
AC +1
Bonus Vitality +10
Cursed Status not cursed
Restrictions none
Resistances 30% vs Divine
Spell Resurrection (6,3)

Ring of Beasts (cats and dogs only)
AC +2
Bonus Stamina +1
Senses +10
Mythology +20
Cursed Status not cursed
lots of drops but Rattkin are your best best ime


Flamethrower
To Hit: +1 Initiative: -6
Skill Required Modern Weapon
Max Charges 10
Spell Firestorm
Power 1
Profession No Mage
Races All
set location = Lower Marten's Bluff

I stole this from Jeff Ludwigs website.

Picture Miscellaneous AC Weight Resistances Special Powers Equipping Info
misc01 Aeromancer's Ring + 1 0.1 5% vs. Air Air Magic +10 All
misc02 Amulet of Airs 0 1.0 10% vs. Air Purify Air lvl. 4 All
misc05 Amulet of Asphyxiate 0 1.0 30% vs. Air Asphyxiation lvl. 4 All
Artifacts 35
misc02 Amulet of Healing + 3 2.5 50% vs. Divine HP Regen +1
Heal All lvl. 6 All
misc02 Amulet of Life 0 1.0 Resurrection lvl. 6 All
Artifacts 35
misc02 Amulet of Nebdar + 4 2.5 10% vs. Fire
10% vs. Water
5% vs. REST HP Regen +1
Stamina Regen +1
SP Regen +1
Senses -5
Power Cast +15 Cursed
All
misc02 Amulet of Rainbows 0 1.0 30% vs. Fire Prismic Ray lvl. 4 All
Artifacts 35
misc02 Amulet of Spiders 0 1.0 10% vs. Water Web lvl. 4 All
misc02 Amulet of Static 0 2.5 5% vs. Mental Energy Blast lvl. 6 All
misc02 Amulet of Stillness 0 1.0 10% vs. Water Paralyze lvl. 5 All
misc05 Amulet Pro Magic + 1 1.0 30% vs. Divine Magic Screen lvl. 4 All
misc03 Ankh of Death + 1 1.5 Strength -10
Instant Death lvl. 6 All
misc03 Ankh of Dexterity + 1 1.5 Dexterity +10 All
misc03 Ankh of Healing + 1 1.5 HP Regen +1
Heal Wounds lvl. 6 All
misc03 Ankh of Life + 1 1.5 50% vs. Divine Resurrection lvl. 6 All
misc03 Ankh of Might + 1 1.5 Strength +10 All
misc03 Ankh of Sanctity + 1 1.5 Piety +10 All
misc03 Ankh of Speed + 1 1.5 Speed +10
Haste lvl. 4 All
misc03 Ankh of Youth + 1 1.5 Vitality +10 All
misc01 Aqua Ring + 1 0.1 20% vs. Water All
misc09 Aromatic Salts 0 0.7 20% vs. Water All
misc09 Bag of Death 0 0.8 HP Drain -2
Death Cloud lvl. 4 All
misc05 Bat Necklace 0 0.3 50% vs. Fire All
misc12 Blackbelt of 5 Flowers + 3 1.0 40% vs. Fire
40% vs. Divine Nin
misc04 Bracers of Defense + 2 3.0 10% vs. Earth
10% vs. Divine All
misc09 Brimstone Nuggets 0 0.7 20% vs. Fire All
misc01 Brimstone Ring + 1 0.1 20% vs. Fire All
misc11 Cameo Locket + 4 0.5 30% vs. Divine HP Regen +1
Vitality +15 Male only
All
misc07 Cross of Protection 0 2.5 10% vs. Water
20% vs. Divine All but Nin
misc09 Deadman's Hair 0 0.5 20% vs. Mental All
misc10 Diamond Ring + 2 0.2 30% vs. Divine HP Regen +1 Female only
All
misc09 Dragon's Teeth 0 0.7 30% vs. Divine All
misc05 Emerald Talisman + 2 1.5 30% vs. Divine Dexterity +10 All
misc01 Fey Ring + 4 0.1 Speed +10
Stealth +20
Stamina Drain -1 Faerie or Elf only
All
misc04 Filcher's Band + 1 1.5 Pickpocket +15 Nin, Rog, Bard, Gad
misc12 Garland of Roses + 3 1.5 50% vs. Divine HP Regen +1
Restoration lvl. 5 Ftr, Val, Lord
misc05 Gem of Power + 2 1.5 5% vs. ALL Power Strike +10 All
misc01 Geomancer's Ring + 1 0.1 5% vs. Earth Earth Magic +10 All
misc02 Golden Medallion + 3 1.5 40% vs. Fire All
misc01 Granite Ring + 1 0.1 20% vs. Earth All
misc05 Helazoid Pendant 0 1.5 50% vs. Fire Eagle Eye +10 All
misc01 Hydromancer's Ring + 1 0.1 5% vs. Water Water Magic +10 All
misc09 Ju-Ju Stones 0 0.7 30% vs. Divine All
misc09 Lion's Claws 0 0.7 30% vs. Earth All
misc06 Locket of Reflection 0 1.0 Stamina Regen +1
Eye for an Eye lvl. 4 Female only
All
misc09 Manta Roots 0 0.7 20% vs. Air All
misc09 Medicine Bag 0 0.3 HP Regen +1
Heal Wounds lvl. 6 Alc
misc01 Mystic's Ring 0 0.1 10% vs. Mental Mindread lvl. 4 Monk, Pri, Bis, Mage, Psi, Alc
misc05 Necklace of Endurance 0 1.0 Stamina Regen +1 Female only
All
misc05 PK Crystal + 4 1.0 50% vs. Mental HP Regen +1
Psionic Blast lvl. 4 Psi
misc01 Pyromancer's Ring + 1 0.1 5% vs. Fire Fire Magic +10 All
misc01 Ring of Beasts + 2 0.1 Stamina Regen +1
Senses +10
Mythology +20 Felpurr, Rawulf, Trynnie only
All
misc01 Ring of Breezes + 1 0.1 20% vs. Air Purify Air lvl. 3 All
misc01 Ring of Felix + 1 2.5 All
misc01 Ring of Life + 1 2.5 HP Regen +1
Vitality +5 All
misc01 Ring of Power + 2 0.1 SP Regen +2
Restore Magic lvl. 3 All but Ftr, Rog
misc01 Ring of Protection + 1 0.1 All
misc01 Ring of Reflextion + 3 0.4 Reflextion +10 All
misc10 Ring of Regeneration + 2 0.2 30% vs. Divine HP Regen +4 All
misc01 Ring of Resounding 0 0.1 Shrill Sound lvl. 3 All
misc01 Ring of Sanity 0 0.1 10% vs. Mental Sane Mind lvl. 5 Monk, Pri, Bis, Mage, Psi, Alc
misc01 Ring of Stars + 4 0.2 50% vs. Mental All
misc01 Ring of the Road + 1 0.1 Strength +20
Superman lvl. 2 Bard
misc01 Ring Pro Frost 0 0.1 40% vs. Water All
misc01 Ring Pro Magic 0 0.2 10% vs. ALL All
misc09 Rock Crystals 0 0.7 20% vs. Mental All
misc05 Scarab Necklace + 2 1.5 20% vs. Mental Intelligence +7 Cursed
All
misc13 Scuba Gear 0 0.0 Breathe underwater
misc07 Silver Cross + 1 1.0 Pri, Bis
misc09 Skull Bones 0 0.7 20% vs. Air All
misc08 Stone of New Life 0 2.0 30% vs. Divine Vitality +10
Resurrection lvl. 6 All
misc08 Stone Pro Airs 0 2.0 50% vs. Air All
misc04 Tinker's Carryall Bracers + 1 3.0 Strength +20
Locks &Traps +5 Gad
misc05 Valentine Necklace + 1 0.7 10% vs. Mental Communication +15 All
misc09 Vitriolic Warder 0 1.2 15% vs. Water
15% vs. Earth All

Actually, I believe the Flamethrower is not actually equipped; it is used as an item from the character's bag, and therefore doesn't qualify as Misc. Equipment. It also isn't even that good, as cloud spells need to be used at higher power levels to be useful. I would probably have given that item the spell Psionic Fire at a moderate level instead. (Cone targeting just feels right for this sort of weapon.)

Of note, maybe I'll mention some of the most useful consumables here:

Potion of Restoration: Restoration 6. This means it restores about 216 HP and stamaina, as well as curing most status ailments. It is also cheaper than a Potion of Cure Disease, yet is capable of curing disease. (Sell your Cure Disease potions and buy these with the money you get.)

Scroll of Heal All: Heal All 4. Nice before you get Amulets of Healing. A bit more expensive than I would like (a problem with many consumables in this game, actually), but you can make money with Alchemy. Sold by Lord Braffit.

Resurrection Powder: The usefulness is obvious, but note that it doesn't require a skill (so it always works) and it is actually cheaper than Scrolls of Resurrection. Of course, once you reach Crock and have 35 Artifacts skill, Amulets of Life are preferred if you are going to use this spell a lot.

Magic Nectar: This should again be obvious, but I note that this item is common and (when sold) is not that expensive. Mana Stones are better (though they can fizzle if your Artifacts skill isn't high enough), but Magic Nectar is easier to get, lighter, and stacks 5 per inventory slot. Unfortunately, that list has two issues:

1. It doesn't say where to get the items.
2. It doesn't say which ones are useful, or give an explanation of what makes them useful.

A couple more good ones:

Necklace of Endurance: Grants Stamina Regen, great for Bards and Gadgeteers. Only usable by female characters (and the main gameplay reason to make them female). Found beneath the temple in Arnika. The Locket of Reflection is similar (complete with the female only restriction), but can also be used for Eye for an Eye.

Blarneystone Amulet: Found in Lower Marten's Bluff. +20 Communication means better shop prices. Cursed, but the curse is easy to remove.

Hear, hear! I cannot agree more.
Indeed it's pretty much the best early misc item as I see it. If your artifacts skill is anywhere near decent you'll get guaranteed high damage hits. As mentioned cheap to recharge - extremely cheap actually. Nine charges is plenty, too. Almost always the go-to item if I reach Arnika with a female character. Definitely best in slot early and extremely comfortable as it allows non-stop running out of combat (press SHIFT for running in case you didn't know that - like I didn't for a very long time -.-).

As for later: most don't really need fancy stuff. I'd say the default endgame misc item is the Amulet of Healing. Few characters are in need of anything else so you just get two of those and you are good imo. As another standard option one can be swapped for the Ring pro Magic, which drags down armor but can be better if your resistances are really bad. For traveling you may want the Necklace, for some fights and artifact training you may want Static. Thus one AoH goes a long way and the 2nd is just nice to have. It is pretty much the easiest endgame tier item to seek out and ought to be collected before doing anything else pretty much. Almost any other item slot deserves more care than misc imho as the "standard" is so easy to get and already so good.

Obviously an Amulet of Nebdar offers more powerful stats and is a guaranteed find. Nonetheless the advantage it offers is nowhere near the AoH. The AoH is found one and a half steps past Arnika already and makes a huge difference compared to what you replace it with. Meanwhile the AoN is found a lot later for "late game polishing" and won't give you a substantial advantage since your equipment is already really good once you find it. It's at least higher on my list than randoms as it is a challenge instead of an exploit that you'll have to face to force it.

The Ring of Regeneration is fancy but not much more. In a fight even 4 hp / turn are not that massive a difference. You need to survive a while to make that count. However: those that survive long (e.g. Fighters) usually don't die to a simple lack of hp but due to status effects. I'd say hp regen is very good - a lot of it is close to pointless. It is only situationally better than the AoH. I mean: it is probably a tad better but usually not worth bickering about. It only truly shines if you wear the Black Gown of Death, a Death Bag, the Staff of Doom or any combination of items that have you lose several hp per turn. In that case it is a centerpiece of a late game strategy, albeit a too late strategy (due to BGoD). At least you can potentially force a find @Davy Jones Locker - that's earlier & easier than Nebdars I'd say. Alas it is also worse in most cases and a random treasure.

As to Cameo Locket and the whole rest: I wouldn't even bother to think about those. I plan for my endgame equipment and I don't trick the RNG on the Rapax Kings chest. Thus I do not consider those. Cameo looks real juicy though: I'd pretty much always use it if I happen to find it I guess. No doubt I'd also use a Fey Ring or Pk Crystal if possible, without going out of my way for it too much, save on a whim. Just like Nebdars most of these are found too late to have that much of an impact, to help when you need help.

If I could choose a single random find misc I'd go for an Amulet Pro Magic. Since I play solos mostly I rarely bring Magic Screen. That's why I'd take that Amulet (7x Magic Screen on Level 4) over a Cameos Locket any day. Then again I'd hardly hunt for it. Rarely dropped by various Wood Spirits (Willow Guardian or higher) supposedly the Rapax High Priestess and high level Trynnie, like Amit :P

I'd rate the items as:
A.o. Healing > A.o. Static > Necklace of Endurance > Ring Pro Magic > A.o. Nebdar > Amulet Pro Magic > Rest.
This is not a power rating obviously but the priority their aquisition has for me when playing.

That said I neglected the Ring of Stars so far: it may be a good option, never tried. Also Cameo should not be doubted to be superb ofc. I am biased here because I played for a "breakthrough" so often. Obviously anything "after the Light Sword" (e.g.) is too late and not felt as impactful - not quite fair I guess. That's why I never loaded for the King's Chest anyway. That and the ("only female") Necklace, which is actually better imo due to its early accessibility.
As mentioned there could be situations for a Ring of Reneration, justifying to force a find at a low priority (it still requires the BGoD to be useful, which won't be found pre level 21). Currently I am not quite decided on whether it is worth it to force a RoR and a BGoD for my solo mage. I reckon a BGoD (L) would be a definite gain in power, a BGoD (U) competes with Robes of Revuvenation but may still be a net gain. In any case I am inclined to skip on that tiresome hunt along with the one most powerful way to use a RoR.
A.o. Nebdar would be awesome for her (currently using a Ring Pro Magic) but Nebdar is a troublesome foe. I might end up in a voluntary tough fight, fought to make easier fights than that more bearable :P
That's why the A.o.Nebdar is so low on the list. So far I lack a good strategy for that fight. If I'd find an easy (potentially low level) way to beat her the Amulet would move up.
edit: although I barely managed to salvage the AoN @level 20 I'd say there is no altogether easy way to beat level 28 Nebdar with her eight level 24 Wraiths. Not unless you bring a full party or the Light Sword or the Cane of Corpus anyway (both of which are easier to get mind). Definitely a late item. Correct me if I am wrong please: I'd be eager to hear how to do that.

Errata: Having admiited I am biased I should probably put Cameo in between the APM and RoR. Stat wise it's 2nd only to Nebdars imo and thus one of the two strongest (though not "best") miscs. To not water down my point however I'll just purge the RoR from the list ;)

Let me 1st say that my RPG roots date back into the mid 70ies, with regular 8-12+h sessions in d&d, ad&d, midgard, traveller etc,
where most dungeon masters i know/knew would have tought you kids;)
that killing allies or at least friendlies for such profane things like treasure is usually counterproductive.


Since the game allows learning by doing, only the increase of attributes is tied to exp lvls,
i think this make items with attribute bonus quite valuable,
for combat&dmg focused party/pc i like to increase might and/or dex(in that order, because i max dex before str),
if focused on combat&disable/crit i prefer to increase speed and/or dex(more attacks=more crit chances)
For RFS-81 i like 2 Emerald Talismans as they also compensate his resistance weakness.

I agree that Amulet of healing is op at the time you can get it, even more because supply is not limited.

OT:
Some items allow to increase specific skills and max their effectivity,
like the critical strike from assasins cap for ninja and samurai&monk at a minor degree.
and casters magic realm from geo/aero/hydro/pyro-mancers ring which make a good combination with Brendas amulet

I like to give my bishop a wand&thieves buckler and a slow weapon like the flail into the 2ndary slot,
that way i can speed up or delay casting(eg to get his heal all after the rez powder worked)


regarding how to cheese the battle with Brenda, and others that wait behind a door:
open the door from the side so you get the surprise and she cant target you with spells,
throw something in like ice bombs etc to aggro them so they come out and you can kill them 1 by 1.

A Psionic Blast spell will also do it, without them ever knowing who or what killed them:D
But that really needs some patience and lots of teleports to recharge the mana stones, even with a maxed psionic;)
btw if your party is inside the room, combine psionic blast with freeze flesh so that one ore more stay in spell range,
you may also want to heal the closest paralyzed guy to ensure that those out of range die first.

Oh my... that's quite ingenious Sir, never thought about that :D In fact I entered combat from around the corner when the Gibbering Head floated through the door, just as you suggest. Next I defended with Element Shield and hit the Wraith behind the Head with my Staff of Dooms extended range. Nebdar couldn't see me. After a while the Wraiths retreated and I stopped doing anything really, merely defending. Just as planned Nebdar came by willingly after a while and I could enter combat with her without killing a single guard of hers. I've been a bit lucky to not get turned I guess: in that case they all retreat and I'll likely end up with a Wraith in my face. Those guys were only beatable with lots of Potions and could kill my Pandora no matter what if they got lucky. Killing all of them wasn't really an option. Anyways: Nebdar showed up in melee and ate a few too many hits from a Superman'ed Doom wielding Mage. I just took my price and ran.
I'd say I found a decent way to do it but it's been really tough nonetheless, with endgame items and level 20. Now Pandora isn't exactly a one man army but at the very least an early AoN is a pretty tough call, even with a good strategy and more manpower. Still classified as late game.

Interesting. The Buckler thing I understand, but as for the Flail, I always thought Initiative modifiers on weapons only apply to the actual use of this weapon (i.e. casting spells or using items is not affected).

It had me wonder, too. Not sure here either.
In any case if you play continuous mode and set your caster to attack he will attack very late. That means you could wait for the res powder and switch the attack to a heal afterwards (while a faster weapon may have attacked already). That way you'd need to use continuous and might risk to waste your action on a pointless "place holder attack". Not sure whether that's necessary.

To examine the option further: is a slower action more or less likely to be carried out after using ~half my movement?

In my current playthrough, my Bishop has a Whip/Thieves' Buckler as her main weapon, and a Staff of Doom in her secondary. That way, if I need Death Cloud, I can just switch weapons to use it. Of course, there's the small matter of switching back.

Of note, the value of the Staff of Death is 8888. That seems like an unusual number. Off hand, the only significance I could see of that number (aside from it being double 4444) is that its numeral is the same as the big one that fills most of the title screen.

By the way, if you have enough Communication (Blarneystone Amulet helps here), there is another way to get money. Buy an expensive weapon or armor from someone with good prices (Ferro works well here), and sell it to Anton Rapax. You can get up to just under a 10% return on your investment when using Ferro here; that's 14,999 for an Infinity Helm and 9,999 from a Robe of Rejuvenation. Note that Sadok gives even lower prices, but he doesn't carry anything really expensive.

Of course, if you are making money with Alchemy, you can buy from Sadok, make your Renewal Potions and sell to He'Li (or Braffit at high Communication).

I am not sure whether an initiative bonus from a weapon also counts for casting spells,
that would be your tasssk to verify it;)