I wish there was one thing, one quote I could give you that would explain how to make magic wondrous. There is not. Bummer I know, but lots of the stumbling blocks to making magic appear wondrous is too much player knowledge. Players are (if you're lucky) a curious lot. They are going to read the books (most likely all the books for a given game) because they're excited about playing. They're going to want to know what abilities their new found magic has. Here's a thought...
Don't tell them in terms of mechanics of the game. Give them details about past wielders, past exploits of the item, or maybe even no details at all. There are examples I wrote for a game here. I presented these legends to the players as plot hooks. They could choose to search for the fabled weapons.The game never materialized (real life gets in the way a lot) but the few paragraphs I did write for the magic items can easily be transferred to a different game. As I didn't write up stats for any of those weapons, I can use them in different systems too.
Another thought...
Remove spells like Detect Magic and Protection. Give serious thought about real life human perception. If you have a decent level of awareness, you know when you're being watched or followed. Sometimes on very rare occasions, an average human can even have moments of prescience. Try incorporating something like that into your games. Human senses can perceive things not normally seen. Think about the electronic din that is ever present in today's world. Most people ignore the noise as a matter of course. Until the power goes out, and it gets REALLY quiet. It makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. If the PC picks up an item, they might be able to feel the thrum of power coursing thru the item. Maybe cursed items whisper to the wielder.
Think about what makes a magic item desirable. Set aside any mechanical benefit and focus on the story of the item. Would you rather have a +6 Defender short sword or The Sword of Kaz? The next time a PC finds a magic item, don't immediately roll for what it is. Decide instead on the vibe the item gives off. When the PC picks it up for the first time, is it relaxing? Does it fill them with feelings of trepidation? Is that other worldly shine on that blade because it's magic or just amazingly well crafted.
Magic that you don't know about can be very wondrous. The PC finds a small trinket in a pile of treasure. Carrying it with them, they wouldn't know that it could absorb a fireball spell, until an evil wizard casts it at them and the spell fizzles. Later while getting ready to bed down for the night, they notice their trinket is shrunken, wrinkled, and sort of grey.
To shorten what could be a lengthy ramble by me about different magic items, I'll just say...
The narrative, story intensive leanings of the gaming community lately can work in your favor with regards to magic. You're the GM, hang the mechanics and have fun. The less your players know of how you make the sausage, the better. If you don't tell them their bright shiney new long sword is just a +1 weapon, you can have it save their bacon when they really need it. Wondrous magic cannot be defined, it must be experienced.
I'll see you next month on the Carnival.
Happy Gaming!
