MAGIC ITEM TYPES

Ammunition

Ammunition can be enchanted to provide an additional effect or damage. Magical ammunition can be used with normal weapons.

Armor

Like weapons, enchanted armor is usually use-activated once the armor is donned, though additional effects may also be unlocked through attunement.

Rings

Rings can be use-activated (when worn), command word activated, or attuned. Only two magic rings can be worn at a time.

Rods

Rods are scepter-like devices that have unique magical powers and usually do not have charges. Some Rods require attunement, but many are usually use-activated when you hold them.

Potions and Oils

Potions are liquid magic, the effects of which are produced when imbibed. Oils are similar, except their magic abilities are revealed when rubbed on a target. Potions and oils are limited to first through third level spells only. They are use-activated and can be used by any character class.

Scrolls

Scrolls store nearly complete spells. When creating a scroll, material components are expended upon creation and are not needed when reading the scroll. After reading the scroll, the scroll is expended and either turns to dust or is wiped clean--unusable.

Staves

A staff stores several spells, usually grouped by theme, and unlike wands, these spells can of any level. Staves do not use charges but instead use your spell slots when activated. All staves are activated through attunement.

Weapons

Magical weapons are usually masterwork quality but also have enchantments placed upon them. These enchantments might be continual (e.g. light) or might take effect once the weapon is used (e.g. flaming sword). Sometimes their magic isn't use-activated, though, and requires attunement or a command word to unlock.

Wondrous Items

Wondrous items are a miscellaneous collection of items that don't fit into any of the previous categories. Some wondrous items are worn on a particular part of the body Use common sense to determine whether more than one of a given kind of magic item can be worn. A character can't normally wear more than one pair of footwear, one pair of gloves or gauntlets, one pair of bracers, one suit of armor, one item of headwear, and one cloak. You can make exceptions; a character might be able to wear a circlet under a helmet, for example, or to layer two cloaks.

Wands

Wands are slender rods of wood, bone or other material, about 6-12 inches long, that can store spells of 4th level or lower. Wands are usually either attuned or command word activated. Non-spellcasters cannot attune to wands, but they can use wands with command words, if known. When using wands, concentration is required if it is required by the spell itself.

Charges

Items that have charges, are imbued with a set amount of magical energy. Once those charges expire, the item loses its magical properties forever, or turns to dust. There are several ways you may choose to track charges.

Standard Method: Just count the number of charges. Each use expends one (or sometimes more) charges. Once exhausted the item is dead. This is a simple method but it may require keeping counts for multiple items, which can get cumbersome. New items have 50 charges. Found items usually have at least half the charges spent.
Percentage Method: Each time you use the item, roll a percentile dice. For newer items there's a 2% chance the item runs out of magic. You may expand this to 4% for found items. You may rule that there's a grace period of a few weeks after an item is created where these rolls aren't necessary, to avoid the unfortunate possibility of having an item die after one use.
Dice Countdown Method: Magical potency is determined by a certain dice that is rolled at each use. New items are d20's. Found items will probably be d10's or d8's. After every use, roll the appropriate dice. If you roll a 1, the dice level is down-graded from d20 to d10 to d8, d6, d4, and then d2. Once you roll a 1 (odd number) on a d2, the item dies.

Note that staves track charges differently, gaining and losing charges.