The ones who aren't going to be wizards don't need the magic lab rules, but you could extend the idea to craft apprentices, rookie grogs, and newly recruited companions.
FWIW the scattered information that was frustrating you in your examples above is, I believe, much better organized in 4th ed. That core book is still available for free from Atlas's website.
https://www.atlas-games.com/arm4/ and look in the sidebar at right for the link.
Thank you.
But are the rules the same rules?
I don't believe the enchantment rules changed in 5th but beyond that I really don't know what's different in 5th. The core book layout/appearance is just off-putting to me so I stuck with what I already had. Others here could give you more guidance on the differences in rules, but if I were going to bet I would bet that any changes from 4th to 5th made certain parts more complicated.
1 Like
The rules changes summary in Appendix One of the 5th Edition Corebook doesn't mention enchantment specifically but I'm not really certain that reassures me.
Regarding Combat on the other hand it says: "Combat, as is traditional, has been completely
rewritten." And Combat was one of the bits that annoyed me a lot, especially the vague way it interacts with magic and the idea of some characters fighting as a unified unit and some not.