The trick with picking pockets is to stick with it long enough. Most NPC's have at least one really good item, a few decent ones, and a lot of trash. For instance, if you keep at Burz long enough, he'll cough up a very nice Enchanted Bow (and I think it's the only way to get one). Chief Gari has a great Ring of Stars. You can grab Raven's Bill from Tremain (okay, it's -1 hp, but get an Amulet of Healing for, say, Vi, give her the Bill, and have some fun!).
The sneaky part is to
not believe the "nothing more to steal" message. You need to get that about 5-6 times in a row before it's true. Of course, best results are obtained with someone who is really good at picking pockets (or becomes so after awhile
).
Nightowl2