(Note: What I write is largely setting agnostic, but not necessarily system agnostic. It is usually constructed from a DnD/Pathfinder/fantasy viewpoint. You may or may not find it applicable to systems you run)
Ever have a destination fully formed, but the journey wasn't supposed to be noteworthy, and you run into a rough series of questions?
Do I throw a random encounter?
If so, how many over the journey?
What happens if the dice are angry at them today? This was supposed to be a simple trek, what happens if one dies?
Should I just not throw an encounter in a long journey?
If you do decide to throw an encounter, it's likely going to be a random encounter. And by random, I don't mean it's necessarily from a random table. I mean it's probably space-filler. It's probably fluff to sell the idea of danger lurking beyond the walls. PCs might be expected to kill them quickly, get some loot, and be on their way. This is perfectly fine. But especially if it is from a random list I find that most that introduce these "random enemies", be they bandit or brigand, either have very underwhelming loot, or it isn't listed at all. If I'm left to pull it from source material, a lot of the time it isn't thematically appropriate, and now I have to do a lot more work.
So, I wanted to provide something to complement this. All of the items here should at least be something to creatively color a random enemy while also giving a real use case that players might enjoy. In theory, these will be fun, not overpowered, not subject to cheese, and simple enough to throw on a wide variety of filler enemies to make these fights seem like they weren't just for the sake of fighting.
A d6 List of Random Loot
For your average encounter, presume that among the mundane, one of these items is present, found by rolling a d6 and correlating it to the entry. Feel free to add more. Regardless of game mechanics and creation rules, these are intended to be strange items that are valued at minimal amounts of gold. Probably no more than 200 gold per, if you're feeling generous. I'd probably make 50 g a good baseline.
1. Cannibal's Molar
This molar is strung onto an ornate set of wooden beads. This item exudes a faint magic aura if detected and fills the holder/wearer with a nagging urge to eat meat. It need not be human meat, but in the absence of fleshy foods, fellow people/party members start to be seen as viable options. You know, in a desert island situation. Totally. Not right now. In the middle of the woods. Where no one can hear us.
The item provides a simple bonus to hit for any character that is raging (be it magically induced or as a class feature). If the character makes a bite attack, they do 1 more damage and have a 5% chance of causing 1 point of bleed damage that lasts until healed.
2. Thief's Coin Purse
This simple but magical purse is seemingly filled with coins by weight, jingling sound, and appearance, but this is an illusion. It seems like it would total 50 gold worth of items by this apparent weight. Useful for inattentive shopkeepers and trades with foes that aren't thorough enough. Opening it reveals that it is otherwise empty. The illusion only works when nothing is in it, but it can store about 50 gold coins worth otherwise. This illusion fools the senses, but not a merchant's scale.
3. Hunter's Satchel of Urines
This leather made pouch is magical. When one sticks a vial of water in it, it is subject to prestidigitation so that the smell and all other fundamental qualities of the contained water will perfectly mimic any animal's marking (it need not be urine specifically). You must provide the vial and water, but otherwise, you simply think of the creature, dip the vial in for three seconds, and voila. Rangers use this most commonly to hunt for deer, but this can be used for any animal. This does not attract beings that would otherwise not be attracted to scent, pheromones, or other qualities intrinsic to "markings".
4. Jar of Fireflies
This simple magical jar contains dozens of bright lights that are, evidently, fireflies. Seemingly not needing air to breathe, the jar can indefinitely act as a source of bright light out to 10 feet due to its contents. However, if the wielder of the jar thinks of a location and opens it, the fireflies burst out and lazily fly in the direction of the destination that was thought of. They won't do so unless the location is within 500 miles. For this to work, one must have seen the place on a map or in person before. If the "destination" is something more abstract, like the exit to a maze that you don't know the path to, there is no cohesion, and the fireflies go in random directions. They cannot be used to "explore" unknown areas like other sides of doors in a dungeon. They otherwise fly indefinitely, and can be immediately called back by will alone. They do not have perfect navigation, and thus may fly in the direction of impassable terrain, chasms, or streams.
5. Choker of Muted Poisons
This magical choker is made of elegant black silk and is worn on the neck by those fearing ingested poisons. When consuming a poison, undetectable or otherwise, the choker turns gradually grayer until it's pure white, commensurate with the strength and amount of poison. In changing of color, it also neutralizes the poison for 8 hours. Every 8 hours that the poison still attempts to harm the wearer, the color shifts again. This is a gradual shift as far as being perceived by the wearer, but in terms of quantity, you could ingest the weakest lethal poison five times (or enough that it would proc five times) before it turns pure white, meaning a sixth dose would be fatal. The strongest poisons will immediately turn the choker white, in such a fashion that casual observers would note the color change. Only magical poisons circumvent this. They still cause the choker to turn white, but otherwise are not halted in their ravages. Once a choker turns white, it is useless.
6. Trouble Stone
This is a pumice-like stone, except totally smooth to the touch, with a small pit on one side. When the holder rubs the pit for three seconds while under an emotion effect, they can reattempt their saving throw if there was one immediately. If successful, the effect is channeled into the stone. Only one effect can be pushed into the stone at any given time. To clear the effect from the stone, you must wash it in a silver bowl filled with water or wait one week. Should someone rub the pit of the stone for three seconds while it still has the effect in it, it is immediately transferred to them with no save. It otherwise has the same effects as when it was shunted into the stone, and all variables like duration persist.