There are several categories of equipment:
- Weapons - Swords, Halberds, Daggers, Etc.
- Armor - Scale Mail, Bushi Scale, Gold Plate, Etc.
- Helmets - Curiass, Brass Sallet, Etc.
- Gloves - Leather Gloves, Jeweled Armet, Etc.
- Shields - Knights Sheild, Padded Target, Etc.
- Rings - Ring of Frozz, Ring of Skulls, Etc.
- Rods - Staff, Lightning Rod, Munke Wand, Etc.
- Quest Items - Jeweled Sceptor, Brass Key, Rubber Duck, Etc.
When a piece of equipment is found in the Maze, it is Unidentified. Only its category is given after a question mark ("?"), which indicates the unidentified status. Ex. ?Sword.
There are certain pieces of equipment that can only be used by characters of a certain Alignment (Ex. Emerald Robes - Good) or Class (Ex. Odinsword - Lord).
More equipment is cursed than one might think. If it is equipped or touched, which happens during an unsuccessful attempt at identification, it cannot be unequipped. Most cursed items have detrimental effects like negative hp regen and negative modifiers to Armor Class and To-Hit rolls.
Some items have magical powers, activated by either "using" them in combat, or "invoking" them from camp. Most items break after being used or invoked, but a very few (mostly cursed) items can be infinitely invoked.
There are two beneficial examples from Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom. One is the Silver Mail, which can be infinitely invoked without being equipped, and casts Madi (fully restores hp). The other is the Petrified Demon statue, which when invoked, the character gains 1-4hp and loses 1 point of Vitality. Whether this was intentional or not, it is not required to have a point of Vitality to trade for the hp gain, meaning a character can invoke the demon in excess of 400 times to garner an hp total of around 1,200 and simply change classes into a Mage or Wizard to instantly restore his vitality stat to its racial minimum.