Pen - Black
| Pen - Black | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Improvised Weapon |
| Skill | - |
| Damage | 0.1 |
| Range | 0.61-0.8 |
| Crit | 0% |
| Condition | 2 |
| Weight | 0.1 |
| Hands | One-handed |
| Location | Containers |
| Spawn ID | /additem Base.Pen
|
The Pen - Black is an ordinary pen with black ink. It is a household writing item that doubles as an improvised stabbing weapon. It weighs almost nothing.
As a weapon it attacks like a short blade, including the stealth execution move. Its damage is tiny and its reach is very short. It breaks after one or two stabs. Pens are very common, so a fresh one is never far away. The black pen turns up on post office counters and desks, and on counters and side tables in almost any building.
Combat
The pen stabs like a knife. A pen strike from behind can trigger the execution move on an unaware zombie. That makes it a throwaway stealth tool rather than a real weapon. Pick one up, use it for one quiet kill, then drop it.
The reach is very short, so the survivor has to stand right next to the zombie. That is a real risk if the stab fails or another zombie is close. Normal stabs deal almost no damage. Any knife or short blade does the same job far better and lasts much longer.
Uses
The pen writes. It fills journals, empty notebooks and sheets of paper with notes. Those notes can be left in the world for other players to read on multiplayer servers. It also marks the in-game map and found maps with black symbols and text. The black pen is a tool in the Make Blank ID recipe.
Used in Crafting
Any recipe that asks for a pen accepts it as the tool, such as Make Blank ID.
Repair
The Pen - Black has only 2 condition, and every hit takes a point off. Two stabs use it up. Hits with it give no Maintenance experience. A worn pen is best replaced with another one.
Locations
The Pen - Black is a very common find. Post office counters and desks hold one about half the time. Counters and side tables in almost any building hold one about a fifth of the time. Daycare desks and shelves, office and police office shelves, and mechanic shelves are good spots. Change room, comic store and movie rental lockers hold them too. Army storage, control rooms, lobbies and kids' bedrooms round out the list.
The places where it spawns, with the rough chance per container. Each tab shows one kind of place.
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Post office | Counter | 50.1% |
| Post office | Desk | 50.1% |
| Post office storage | Counter | 50.1% |
| Daycare | Desk | 16.8% |
| Changing room | Locker | 16.7% |
| Comic storage | Locker | 16.7% |
| Movie rental | Locker | 16.7% |
| Daycare | Metal shelves | 15.9% |
| Daycare | Shelves | 15.9% |
| Mechanic | Metal shelves | 15.4% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Art store | Other | 35.6% |
| Art store | Shelves | 35.6% |
| Plazastore1 | Other | 12.8% |
| General store | Shelves | 5.5% |
| Gigamart | Shelves | 2.7% |
| Book store | Counter | 2.6% |
| Burger joint dining | Counter | 2.4% |
| Dining crepe | Counter | 2.4% |
| Restaurant dining | Counter | 2.4% |
| Any building | Small box | <0.1% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Any building | Counter | 21.5% |
| Any building | Side table | 18.4% |
| Bedroom | Side table | 18% |
| Kid's bedroom | Counter | 12.4% |
| Kid's bedroom | Shelves | 12.4% |
| Kid's bedroom | Side table | 12.4% |
| Any building | Office drawers | 11.4% |
| Any building | Shelves | 7.9% |
| Living room | Wardrobe | 6.6% |
| Kitchen | Other | 5.3% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Inside a bag or case | Pencil case | 10.4% |
| Any building | Zombie wearing a office worker outfit | 10.4% |
| Any building | Zombie wearing a office worker skirt outfit | 10.4% |
| Any building | Zombie wearing a prison guard outfit | 10% |
| Any building | Zombie wearing a police outfit | 8.1% |
| Inside a bag or case | Schoolbag | 7.8% |
| Any building | Zombie wearing a police state outfit | 7.4% |
| Inside a bag or case | Handbags and purses | 6.8% |
| Any building | Zombie wearing a airport security tarmac outfit | 4.5% |
| Any building | Zombie wearing a agent outfit | 4.4% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Survivor cache (large building) | Counter | 2.1% |
Notes
- The pen counts as a short blade for the stealth execution, which makes it a disposable silent kill.
- Two stabs break it, so grab a couple if no blade is at hand.
- Black ink suits general map notes; the blue, green and red pens let notes be sorted by colour.
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All Improvised Weapons