Facing a clearly superior wizard in certámen can be extremely daunting. Mages can’t “see each other’s character sheets,” as it were, so the characters don’t usually know what their opponents can do. When the glowing spheres manifest, however, a duelist may realize that he’s seriously outclassed.

At the beginning of a duel, a combatant whose opponent has at least three glowing spheres more than he does may have to make a Willpower roll (difficulty 4 + 1 per additional sphere), or else automatically lose initiative that first turn. If he botches that Willpower roll, don’t bother rolling initiative at all – he’s always attacking second.