I am using blender for my personal projects now. Here are some helper scripts that i wrote to help my self while creating my new character rig:
Symmetry Map
symmetrize a mesh and bone weights over the x axis
This script is useful if you want to make modifications to a symmetrical mesh after you have applied a mirror modifier.
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Blend Vertices
Copy selected vertex positions from one object to another

This script copies vertex positions between two objects. Both objects need to have the
same topology (i.e. created as a copy of the other).
This script is useful for modelling shapes (if you do them as seperate obejcts) to
revert changes to the original mesh.
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Drawtypes
Set Object Display options (Hotkey O)

I wrote this for convenience to be able to quickly toggle
draw wireframe over solid and x-ray etc.
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Merge weights to parent
Merge the selected bone’s weight to its parent

This script is supposed to be used in conjunction with the bone heating
appoach. Because the bone heating does sometimes not reach all areas i want,
(for example in the head) i usually add additional child bones and apply
bone heating again. This script can then be used to merge the weights to
the parent bone, to get rid of the extra vertex groups and remove the clutter.
Download Script
Remove from all Vertex Groups
Clears selected vertices from all vertex groups for a fresh start
Download Script
Toggle Armature Layers

Toggle between the first two armature layers of the selected armature with a hotkey. Very convenient when animating, so you can hide / unhide your controls quickly.
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SoftIK

Soft IK for non stretchy chains.
Download zipped Blend-file
To use the scripts put them into your Blender-Script folder. For detailed instructions see each individual file. Have fun!