The purpose of the Ultimate Focuses List is to deepen the identity of characters, giving them fleshed-out skill sets. With detailed focuses such as these, not only can the character’s origin be given depth but it adds history to the player, allowing him to be unlike anyone else. GMs can use these Focuses to create stories distinct to their player’s specialized sets.
Use this focus generator to round out your Star Trek Adventures player character. You will need ten-sided dice to make these rolls. (I know, not very STA, but oh well.) First, roll the major category. Second, roll the specialty.
[For anyone who may say, “This list seems familiar,” that means that you played Marvel Super Heroes before. I wrote this for that game originally, had it posted online, and thought I should convert it for STA.}
Ultimate Focuses Table | |||
01-03 – | Alternative Sciences | 55-64 – | Engineering |
04-13 – | Astronomy | 64-67 – | Fighting Skills |
14-20 – | Biology | 68-77 – | Medicine |
21-28 – | Chemistry | 77-78 | Other |
29-33 – | Crime and Law | 79-88 – | Physics |
33-38 – | Cognitive Sciences & Humanities | 89-97 – | Piloting |
39-48 – | Computer Science | 97-00 – | Weapons |
48-55 – | Earth Sciences |
Alternative Sciences | ||
01-25 | Catastrophism | The scientific belief system that attempts to pinpoint the end of the world or at least major catastrophes that could significantly alter man’s or the universe’s history. |
26-50 | Cryonics | The practice of freezing a dead diseased person in hopes of bringing him back in the future when the cure is found. |
51-75 | Paranormal Phenomena | The study of Paranormal Phenomena from a scientific standpoint. |
76-00 | Parapsychology | The study of psionics |
Astronomy | ||
01-20 | Astronautics | The science of the construction and design of vehicles for travel in space beyond earth’s atmosphere. |
21-40 | Astrophotography | 1. The use of photography in astronomy; the photographing of celestial objects and phenomena. |
41-60 | Astrophysics | Deals with the chemical and physical composition of celestial matter. |
61-80 | Radio Astronomy | Astronomy dealing with electromagnetic radiations of radio frequency received from outside earth’s atmosphere. |
81-00 | Stellar Cartography | Mapping space. |
Biology | ||
01-05 | Anatomy | The branch of science concerned with the bodily structure of humans, animals, and other living organisms, especially as revealed by dissection and the separation of parts. |
06-10 | Animal Behavior | The scientific study of the ways in which animals interact with each other, with other living beings, and with the environment. |
11-15 | Bio-Physics | The application of physical principles to biological problems. |
16-21 | Biotechnology | Application to biological and medical science of engineering principles or engineering equipment (as in the construction of artificial organs and bionics). |
22-26 | Botany | The study of plant life. |
27-31 | Ecology | The interrelationship of organisms and their environment. |
32-37 | Genetics | A branch of biology dealing with hereditary and variation of organisms. Genetics allows the recognition of signs of genetic tampering, ability to note genetic abnormalities, and conduct genetic experiments or projects. |
38-42 | Immunology | The science dealing with the phenomena and causes of immunity and immune responses. |
43-48 | Marine Biology | The scientific study of organisms that live in salt water. |
49-54 | Micro-Biology | The study of microscopic forms of life. |
55-61 | Neurosciences | Deals with nerves and nerve tissue and their relation to behavior and learning. |
62-67 | Parasitology | The study of parasites on living creatures. |
68-73 | Pharmacology | The science of drugs including materia medica, toxicology, and therapeutic. |
74-79 | Phenology | The study of the reaction of species to environmental phenomenon. |
80-85 | Physiology | Deals with the functions of living matter and of the physical and chemical phenomena. |
86-90 | Psychobiology | The study of mental life and behavior in relation to other biological processes. |
91-95 | Radiobiology | Deals with the interaction of biological systems and radiant energy or radioactive materials. |
96-00 | Zoology | The scientific study of the behavior, structure, physiology, classification, and distribution of animals. |
Chemistry | ||
01-02 | Alchemy | A medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base elements into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for disease, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life. |
02-18 | Chemical and Biological Weapons | The science of chemical substance whose toxic properties are used to kill, injure or incapacitate human beings or living organisms or replicating entities (viruses, which are not universally considered “alive”) that reproduce or replicate within their host victims. |
19-37 | Chemical Engineering | Engineering dealing with the industrial application of chemistry and development of new chemical technology. |
38-50 | Electrochemistry | Deals with the relation of electricity to chemical changes and with the interconversion of chemical and electrical energy. |
51-64 | Organic Chemistry | Deals with only chemical elements found occurring in natural substances. |
65-77 | Polymers | The study of advanced chemical compounds to form other new materials. |
78-88 | Sonochemistry | The effects of sonic energy on chemicals. |
89-00 | Spectroscopy | Physics that deal with the theory and interpretation of interactions between matter and radiation. |
Crime and Law | ||
01-04 | Ballistics | Ballistics is the study of non-energy weapons, knowing what bullet goes with what gun, where a shot could have come from, etc. This is the kind of stuff you see detectives doing when they find powder burns and bullet holes. |
05-07 | Camouflage | Allows a character to try and camouflage equipment, objects, and self. |
08-10 | Counterfeit Recognition | Used for identifying false signatures, money, art, etc. A failed roll means that the character believes it’s genuine. |
11-12 | Clue Analysis | Gathering information on clues. |
13-16 | Criminology | The character with this Talent has an understanding of the criminal mind and behavior, either from studies or first-hand observation. |
17-22 | Demolitions | Figuring out the best applications for explosives, or the creation of homemade explosives. Allows a good chance to blow the vault door off the wall without collapsing the back half of the building. |
23-29 | Detective/Espionage | Gains Clue Analysis, Counterfeit recognition, identification System, Law, and Police Procedure. This character is trained to notice small clues to a crime. |
30-32 | Disguise | When a PC gets in disguise, two situations could come up. One is where the disguise only has to pass at a glance. The other situation is where the character must adopt mannerisms to go with the disguise (disguising voice, affecting a limp, etc.). The person the character is trying to fool must make a task roll or be fooled. In either case, if the task is failed, nothing is noticed. If the opponent succeeds, they sense something is off. |
32-37 | Forensics | Scientific tests or techniques used in connection with the detection of crime. |
38-42 | Forgery | Enables a character to create excellent copies of a signature or work of art. |
43-44 | Intimidation | A character with this talent knows how to inspire fear in an opponent either through the use of threats, brute strength, or imposing size. |
45-47 | Interrogation | The character is well versed in extracting information from a subject. |
48-55 | Law | The system of rules that a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties. |
56-64 | Law Enforcement | Includes Gun and Law talents and the Police Procedure talent. |
65-70 | Military | Includes Camouflage, Cartography, Demolition, Electronic Countermeasures, Phasers, and Heavy Weapons and military matters including army weapons. |
71-77 | Negotiations | The action or process of negotiating an agreement |
78-83 | Police Procedure | Enables a character to avoid both police conflict and security. For example; such a character could apprehend felons and gain access to a crime scene without being arrested. |
84-88 | Pick Pocket | The art of a stealing money, wallets, etc., from the pockets of people, as in crowded public places |
89-92 | Security | This focus has two benefits. First, the PC gets to create or remove Security devices, secondly, they have a knack for noticing installed security devices. |
93-96 | Stealth | The act of moving, proceeding, or acting in a covert way. |
97-00 | Tracking | This skill allows you to track others and to cover your own trail with any earthbound target and through any type of terrain. |
Cognitive Sciences & Humanities | ||
01-13 | Anthropology | The study of societies and cultures and their development. |
14-21 | Archaeology | The study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains. |
22-29 | Cartography | Enables a character to draw and interpret maps |
30-39 | History | This character can pick a specific branch of history to be an expert in |
40-52 | Philology (linguistics) | The study of human speech including the units, structure, modification of language. (Character gets to pick one language other than Federation Standard to be fluent in.) |
53-66 | Music Cognition | The study of musical development throughout history. This does not automatically grant the character with the performer focus. |
67-80 | Philosophy | The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. |
81-00 | Psychology | The scientific study of the mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. |
Computer Science | ||
01-13 | Architecture | The art or practice of designing and constructing buildings. |
14-29 | Artificial Intelligence | The study and research of thinking systems made by biological beings. |
30-45 | Computer Engineering | The design and construction of computer hardware. |
46-51 | Electronic Counter Measures | Enables a character to understand, operate, and detect the use of bugs, jammers, and decoders. |
52-58 | Holotechnology | Holography is a photographic technique that records the light scattered from an object, and then presents it in a way that appears three-dimensional. This includes use of replicators and force fields to simulate texture and substance. |
59-75 | Security and Encryption | Encryption is the most effective way to achieve data security. To read an encrypted file, you must have access to a secret key or password that enables you to decrypt it. |
76-89 | Programming | The creation and development of computer software. |
90-00 | Virtual Reality | An in-depth knowledge of human’s interaction with computer systems. |
Earth Sciences | ||
01-11 | Agriculture | Deals with field crop production and soil management Also, a combination of the producing operations of a farm, the manufacture and distribution of supplies, and the processing distribution and storage of such supplies. The development and repair of farm equipment, irrigation systems and landscape planning. Can also include forestry, the science of developing, caring for and cultivating forests and/or timberlands. |
12-25 | Ecology | Ecology is the study of living things and how they interact in an ecological system. |
12-25 | Geography | Mapping a planet and its surface. |
26-38 | Geology | Deals with the history of planets and its life esp. in rocks. |
39-50 | Hydrology | Deals with the properties, distribution, and circulation of water on the surface of the land, in the soil and rocks, and in the atmosphere. |
51-64 | Meteorology | Study of weather systems. |
65-75 | Metallurgy | The study of metal and its practical uses. |
76-90 | Oceanography | Study of the oceans movements and effects on land and atmosphere. |
91-00 | Seismology | The study of earth movement. Includes glaciology and volcanology. |
Engineering | ||
01-06 | Aviation and Aeronautics Engineering | This is not piloting. It is the understanding and development of flight principles and aircraft design. These are people who know how to build planes but not fly them. |
07-13 | Astronautic Engineering | This allows the character to design, build and modify space craft. |
14-16 | Automotive Engineering | This allows the character to design, build and modify land vehicles. |
17-19 | Battlesuit Design | This skill allows the character to design and build battlesuits, harnesses, etc. |
20-21 | Civil Engineering | Deals with roads, city works, water systems, overpasses, etc. |
22-25 | Cybernetics/Bionics | Study of living systems with the intention of applying their principles to the design of engineering systems. Drawing on interdisciplinary research in the mechanical and life sciences, bionics has been used in audiovisual equipment based on human ear function, to design air and naval craft patterned after biological structure of birds and fish, and to incorporate principles of the human neurological system in data-processing systems. Another application has been the development of artificial limbs controlled by recognition of the electrical patterns in muscle tissue and direct electronic stimulation of the visual cortex via an implant and camera system. This focus allows the character the ability to design advanced cybernetic creations. With medicine/surgery, the character can actually perform surgery, allowing the construction of replacement organs, limbs, etc. |
26-28 | Demolitions | Precise knowledge of how to build, use and diffuse explosive devices. |
29-31 | Gadgetry | Can build gadgets |
32-33 | Identify Gadgets | Enables a character to Identify and use gadgets but not build them. |
34-38 | Electrical Engineering | The branch of engineering that deals with the technology of electricity. |
39-40 | Locksmith | A person who makes and repairs locks. |
41-44 | Marine Engineering | Includes the building of ships, submarines and underwater constructs. |
45-57 | Mechanical Engineering | The character with focus is capable of building complex machines for an assortment of tasks. |
58-63 | Military Engineering | The art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and communications. |
64-69 | Nuclear Engineering | Deals with the construction and development of nuclear powered, manipulating and control devices. |
70-76 | Repair/Tinkering | Modification of existing machines or equipment. |
77-82 | Robotics | Deals with Robotic construction, design, maintenance, and theory. |
83-88 | Structural Engineering | This allows the character to design, build and modify structural complexes (buildings, bases, tunnels, mines, etc.) |
89-95 | Weapons Engineering | Precise knowledge of how to build, use and modify phasers, torpedoes and artillery. |
96-00 | Weapons Tinkering | Modification of existing weapons but not the creation of new ones. |
Fighting Skills | ||
01-03 | Aerial Combat | The character has some knowledge of aerial tactics, and possesses keen ability to use such. |
04-07 | Underwater Combat | The Focus allows a character to operate in combat conditions without penalty underwater. |
08-11 | Climbing | Allows you to climb trees, buildings, cliffs, etc. and the knowledge of rappelling equipment. |
12-15 | Dodging | An expert at dodging strikes or targeted attacks. |
16-19 | Gymnastics | Enables a character to perform flips, rolls, etc, and also allows a character to juggle. |
20-23 | Aikido | Considered a grappling art, aikido is a Japanese martial art performed by flowing with the motion of the attacker rather than opposing it straight-on. This requires much less physical strength, as the practitioner directs the attacker’s momentum with entering and turning motions, followed by various throws or joint locks. |
24-27 | Hapkido | A Korean martial art which uses joint locks, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. Weapons such as sword, nunchaku, rope, cane, and staff are also used, although their emphasis varies. Hapkido focuses on using circular motions, non-resisting movements, and control of the opponent, using footwork and body positioning to gain leverage and avoid strength against strength. Although aikido and hapkido are thought to share a common history, they differ significantly in philosophy, range of responses, and execution of techniques. |
28-31 | Judo | A Japanese martial art (created in 1882). The goal of judo is to either throw or takedown one’s opponent to the ground and immobilize or subdue them with a grappling maneuver, joint lock, strangle hold, or choke. Strikes and thrusts by hands and feet or weapons are only allowed in pre-arranged forms (kata), and are not allowed in competition or free practice. |
31-34 | Jiu Jitsu | A Japanese martial art for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon. Practitioners neutralize an enemy with pins, joint locks, and throws by using an attacker’s energy against him, rather than directly opposing it (as with other martial arts such as karate). There are five main areas or arts of training: blocking, fulcrum throw, non-fulcrum throw, escaping, and striking. |
35-38 | Karate | A martial art developed in Okinawa, Japan that stresses striking techniques, such as punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands (karate chop). In comparison to tae kwon do, karate tends to focus more on hand strikes, whereas tae kwon do emphasizes kicking techniques. The major traditional styles of karate are Shotokan, Shito Ryu, Goju Ryu, and Wado Ryu. |
39-42 | Krav Maga | A hand-to-hand combat system developed in Israel that involves wrestling, grappling and striking techniques, mostly known for its extremely efficient and brutal counter-attacks used to keep the practitioner safe and incapacitate the opponent by any means necessary. |
43-45 | Kung Fu | A number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. There are common themes to the various styles (which are usually classified by families, schools, or sects). Some styles include physical exercises that mimic animal movements, while others are inspired by Chinese philosophies, religions, and legends. Internal styles focus mainly on harnessing of qi, while external styles concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness. |
46-49 | Muay Thai | A martial art from Thailand which uses stand-up striking and clinching techniques. It makes prominent use of punches, kicks, elbow strikes, and knee strikes, using eight points of contact, in contrast to the hands and feet (four contact points) more often relied upon in other martial arts. |
50-53 | Tae Kwon Do | The Korean art of self-defense, one of the oldest forms of martial arts (reaching back over 2,000 years), and the most widely practiced martial art in the world. Training involves learning a system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes, as well as varying forms of take-downs, throws, and joint locks, all of which develop strength, speed, balance, flexibility, and stamina. Taekwondo is known for its emphasis on kicking techniques, as compared to other martial arts such as karate. |
54-57 | Tai Chi | An internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. A multitude of training forms exist, including the westernized, standardized version of tai chi (tai chi chih) which has visual similarities to the Chinese tai chi (tai chi chuan), but no martial arts aspect. Some forms are particularly well known because of their slow movement. |
58-61 | American Boxing | The sport or practice of fighting with the fists, especially with padded gloves in a roped square ring according to prescribed rules. |
62-65 | Ryadam | Ryadam was a form of Angosian martial arts. According to Roga Danar’s service record, Primehadar Davgrant made a recommendation for Danar to be trained in advanced Ryadam martial arts. He subsequently completed the training. (Credit to Memory Alpha for this listing.) |
66-69 | Fencing | The sport of fighting with swords, especially foils, épées, or sabers, according to a set of rules, in order to score points against an opponent. |
70-73 | Kickboxing | A form of martial art that combines boxing with elements of karate, in particular kicking with bare feet. |
74-77 | Street Brawling
(Captain Kirk’s speciality) |
Hand-to-hand combat in public places, between individuals or groups of people. |
78-81 | Klingon calisthenics | The Klingon calisthenics program was a holodeck program favored by Lieutenant Worf for recreation when he served on board the USS Enterprise-D. The participants fought “to the death” against one or more holographic characters in a jungle-like setting among ruined structures using melee weapons. (Credit to Memory Alpha for this listing.) |
82-85 | Mok’bara | The Mok’bara was a Klingon form of martial arts. The technique was similar to meditation, as both forms were said to clear the mind. The Mok’bara was the basis of Klingon hand-to-hand combat techniques, and could be practiced alone or in groups. (Credit to Memory Alpha for this listing.) |
86-89 | Tsunkatse | Tsunkatse was a popular spectator sport in the Delta Quadrant invented by the Norcadians. In Tsunkatse, two contestants battled in an arena wearing polaron disruptors on their hands and feet, which delivered a bioplasmic charge on contact with the opponent’s two target sensors, located on the sternum and between the shoulder blades. (Credit to Memory Alpha for this listing.) |
90-92 | Suus Mahna | Suus Mahna was a form of ancient Vulcan martial arts which took many years to learn. (Credit to Memory Alpha for this listing.) |
93-94 | Wrestling | The sport or activity of grappling with an opponent and trying to throw or hold them down on the ground, typically according to a code of rules. |
95-96 | Thrown Objects | The character with this Focus is adept using both thrown weapons and normal items. |
97-98 | Acrobatics | Gymnastic feats. |
99-00 | Tumbling | The character with this Focus knows how to fall and land without undue injury. |
Medicine | ||
01-05 | Acupuncture | A system of complementary medicine that involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles, used to alleviate pain and to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions. Originating in ancient China. |
06-10 | Cardiology | The branch of medicine that deals with diseases and abnormalities of the heart. |
11-15 | Chiropractic | A system of complementary medicine based on the diagnosis and manipulative treatment of misalignments of the joints, especially those of the spinal column, which are held to cause other disorders by affecting the nerves, muscles, and organs. |
16-20 | Dentistry | The treatment of diseases and other conditions that affect the teeth and gums, especially the repair and extraction of teeth and the insertion of artificial ones. |
21-25 | Emergency Medicine | This character is capable of working in a trauma unit, emergency room or any other kind of immediate care. |
26-33 | First Aid | Help given to a sick or injured person until full medical treatment is available. |
34-39 | Geriatrics | Medical care for older people. |
40-44 | Obstetrics and Gynecology. | Women and babies and related problems. |
45-49 | Oncology | The study of cancer. |
50-54 | Pathology | The study of diseases and their nature. |
55-60 | Pediatrics | Children |
61-65 | Pharmacology | The study of drugs |
66-70 | Physical Therapy | The treatment of disease, injury, or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery. |
71-75 | Reconstructive Surgery | Surgery to restore function or normal appearance by reconstructing defective organs or parts. |
76-81 | Psychiatry | Deals with mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. |
82-87 | Radiology | The use of radiation in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. |
88-93 | Sports Medicine | An area of medical practice concerned with the treatment of injuries resulting from athletic activities. |
94-98 | Surgery | The treatment of injuries or disorders of the body by incision or manipulation, especially with instruments. |
99-00 | Veterinary | Taking care of animals medical needs. |
Other | ||
01-05 | Accounting | The action or process of keeping financial accounts. |
06-09 | Actor | The art or occupation of performing in plays |
10-14 | Animal Training | This character may teach animals simple tricks. |
15-19 | Artist | The character with an artist background creates works of art, either for himself or for sale to others. This includes painting, sculpting, and writing. |
20-25 | Business/Finance | The character is familiar with the world of business, corporate finance, and how money works. |
26-30 | Escape Artist | Adept at escaping holds or bonds. |
31-32 | Heir To A Fortune | This is not a Focus, but a situation which brings the character into a lot of money. |
33-36 | Instructor | Allows the character to teach a particular ability. |
37-41 | Journalism | The activity or profession of writing or preparing news to be broadcast. |
42-46 | Leadership | A natural born leader. |
47-52 | Performer | The character is someone who acts, sings, dances, mimes, or otherwise uses his talents to entertain. |
53-57 | Persuasion | This Focua provides the ability to convince someone to believe something or perform some action. |
58-63 | Pick Pocketing | Allows the character the ability to “borrow” items from another person without their knowledge. |
64-69 | Politics | Being involved with politics in the public eye, you are either really liked or really hated. |
70-76 | Seduction | This character has sex appeal and uses it. |
77-82 | Sewing and Tailoring | |
83-91 | Streetsmart | Character know the streets and how to survive there. |
92-96 | Thief | Allows the ability to picklocks, access security, and safecracking |
97-99 | Trivia | Pick a subject to be a know-it-all about. |
00 | Writer | Enables a character to produce novel, screenplays, comic books, poetry, coloring books. |
Physics | ||
01-15 | Acoustics | Deals with the study of noise control and Sonoluminescence, using sound to produce light in liquids. |
16-32 | Atomic Physics | The study of solely atomic physics. Includes nuclear physics. |
33-48 | Cryogenics | Deals with the production and effects of very low temperatures. |
49-66 | Energy and Particle Physics | The study of the electromagnetic spectrum of energy and research into new power sources. |
67-83 | Mathematics | The character with this talent is a math whiz. |
84-00 | Quantum Physics | Research and development into teleportation, worm holes, warp theory and other marvelous ideas. The character can even start off by creating a new specialty field. |
Piloting Skills | ||
01-04 | Airplane Pilot | Includes commercial jets, small planes and fighter jets. |
05-10 | Automobile Specialist | Driving and controlling cars, trains, tanks, hovercrafts, etc. |
11-21 | Boat Pilot/Submersibles | Involving aquatic vehicles |
21-27 | Helicopter | |
28-50 | Military Vehicle Specialist | Includes tanks, jeeps and other off-road warcraft. |
51-55 | Motorcycle | |
55-85 | Large Spacecraft | Includes spacecraft and out of atmosphere ships. |
85-00 | Shuttles | Includes various forms of small craft. |
Weapons Skills | ||
01-06 | Ancient Weapons | This skill gives the player the ability to use weaponry from a specific period and setting previous to the advent of gunpowder. Further, the character must pick the style and period of said weaponry, wheter it be Ancient egypt or Latter Rome. |
07-12 | Battlesuit operation | The character gains the ability to use a battlesuit. |
13-20 | Blunt Weapons | Clubs, bats, etc. |
21-27 | Bows | |
28-34 | Energy Weapons | The character is adept in using energy weapons, such as lasers, electrostun rifles, phasers, or plasma blasters, save for heavy weapons such as Laser Cannons and Vehicle Weapons. |
35-42 | Guns | Ballistic-style hand guns and Rifles. |
43-49 | Marksmen | To hit with any distance weapon that requires line of sight to hit, and marksman takes no penalty for range. |
50-56 | Oriental Weapons | Using the following; Shurikens, crossbows, sais, and oriental swords and daggers. |
57-63 | Heavy Weapons | Heavy Weapons allows the character to operate most heavy weapons, including vehicular mounted weapons and tripod mounted weapons. |
64-70 | Fencing | The Fencing skill allows for the skills of parrying, disarming, and quickstrikes. |
71-76 | Paired Weapons | |
77-83 | Sharp Weapons | To hit with swords, daggers and spears (unless thrown). Does not include Claws and other natural extensions |
84-90 | Thrown Weapons | For Spears, disks, shurikens, snowballs, etc. |
91-00 | Weapons Master | Pick a single weapon of choice. |
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