Pen

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Pen

General

Category

Household

Encumbrance

0.1

Equipped

One-handed

Slot attached

N/A

Skill

N/A

Properties

Max condition

2

Performance

Damage

0.1–0.1

Range

0.61–0.8

Attack speed

N/A

Knockback

0.3

Knockdown

0

Technical

Item ID

Base.Pen
Base.RedPen
Base.BluePen

The pen is a writing implement and improvised weapon.

Usage

Writing

A pen can be used with journals, empty notebooks and a sheet of paper to write notes that can be left for other players on multiplayer servers. The map can be annotated with a pen, adding symbols and text in the color of the pen used (blue, black, or red).

Weapon

The pen is an improvised weapon and is not associated with a weapon skill, but attacks like a short blade, including the special execution move. Pens have a very low durability so will usually exhaust all of its durability; making it useless as a weapon. It can be used as a discardable stealth-kill weapon, as they are very common, it can be picked up, used to stealth kill a zombie then discarded. However, as the pen has a very low range, this can be dangerous.

Condition

Pens have a maximum condition of 2. Its rate of degradation is influenced by the maintenance skill. The chance of losing durability can be simplified to the following formula: 1 in (1 + maintenanceMod × 2). Where "maintenanceMod" is calculated using the maintenance skill.
Below is an example of the chance of losing durability at varying levels of the maintenance skill.

For how this is calculated, see: Condition

Maintenance skill	Durability lower chance
0	1/1 (100%)
2	1/3 (33%)
4	1/5 (20%)
6	1/7 (14%)
8	1/9 (11%)
10	1/11 (9%)

Distribution

Pens can be found in three colors, standard (black), red and blue, each with the same stats.

Pens can be found in bins, lockers, zombie corpses, desks, shop counters, side tables, houseware store shelves, gift store crates, shelves and display cases, toy store shelves, sewing store shelves, school bags and garbage bags.

Crafting

This feature has been removed from the game.

Pens are no longer used in crafting, and can instead be used to write.

Formerly, the pen could be used to make doodle and with notepad to make journal, this has since been removed.

Product	XP gained	Skill(s)	Recipe	Ingredient 1	Ingredient 2
Journal x20		none		One of: Pen Pencil (consumed)	Empty Notebook (consumed)
DoodleRemoved		none		One of: Pen Pencil (consumed)	Sheet of Paper (consumed)

Code

Code snippet! This section contains source code from Project ZomboidShow / Hide

Pen
Source: ProjectZomboid\media\scripts\items_weapons.txt

Retrieved: Build 41.78.16

item Pen
	{
	    DisplayCategory = Household,
		MaxRange	=	0.8,
		WeaponSprite	=	Pen,
		MinAngle	=	0.65,
		Type	=	Weapon,
		MinimumSwingTime	=	2,
		KnockBackOnNoDeath	=	FALSE,
		SwingAmountBeforeImpact	=	0.02,
		Categories	=	Improvised,
		ConditionLowerChanceOneIn	=	1,
		Weight	=	0.1,
		SplatNumber	=	1,
		PushBackMod	=	0.3,
		SubCategory	=	Stab,
		AimingMod	=	0.8,
		ConditionMax	=	2,
		MaxHitCount	=	1,
		IsAimedHandWeapon	=	TRUE,
		DoorDamage	=	0,
		SwingAnim	=	Stab,
		DisplayName	=	Pen,
		MinRange	=	0.61,
		SwingTime	=	2,
		KnockdownMod	=	0,
		SplatBloodOnNoDeath	=	FALSE,
		Icon	=	Pen,
		RunAnim	=	Run_Weapon2,
		IdleAnim	=	Idle_Weapon2,
		TreeDamage  =   0,
		EnduranceMod = 0.5,
		CriticalChance	=	0,
		MinDamage	=	0.1,
        MaxDamage	=	0.1,
		WeaponLength = 0.15,
		Tags = Write;Pen,
        BreakSound  =   PenBreak,
        HitFloorSound	= PenHit,
        ImpactSound	=	PenHit,
        DoorHitSound = PenHit,
		HitSound	=	PenHit,
		SwingSound = PenSwing,
	}

Red Pen
Source: ProjectZomboid\media\scripts\items_weapons.txt

Retrieved: Build 41.78.16

item RedPen
	{
	    DisplayCategory = Household,
		MaxRange	=	0.8,
		WeaponSprite	=	Pen,
		MinAngle	=	0.65,
		Type	=	Weapon,
		MinimumSwingTime	=	2,
		KnockBackOnNoDeath	=	FALSE,
		SwingAmountBeforeImpact	=	0.02,
		Categories	=	Improvised,
		ConditionLowerChanceOneIn	=	1,
		Weight	=	0.1,
		SplatNumber	=	1,
		PushBackMod	=	0.3,
		SubCategory	=	Stab,
		AimingMod	=	0.8,
		ConditionMax	=	2,
		MaxHitCount	=	1,
		IsAimedHandWeapon	=	TRUE,
		DoorDamage	=	0,
		SwingAnim	=	Stab,
		DisplayName	=	Red Pen,
		MinRange	=	0.61,
		SwingTime	=	2,
		KnockdownMod	=	0,
		SplatBloodOnNoDeath	=	FALSE,
		Icon	=	Pen,
		RunAnim	=	Run_Weapon2,
		IdleAnim	=	Idle_Weapon2,
		TreeDamage  =   0,
		EnduranceMod = 0.5,
		ColorRed = 220,
        ColorGreen = 10,
        ColorBlue = 10,
        CriticalChance	=	0,
        MinDamage	=	0.1,
        MaxDamage	=	0.1,
		WeaponLength = 0.15,
		Tags = Write;RedPen,
		BreakSound  =   PenBreak,
        HitFloorSound = PenHit,
        ImpactSound	=	PenHit,
        DoorHitSound = PenHit,
		HitSound	=	PenHit,
		SwingSound = PenSwing,
	}

Blue Pen
Source: ProjectZomboid\media\scripts\items_weapons.txt

Retrieved: Build 41.78.16

item BluePen
	{
	    DisplayCategory = Household,
		MaxRange	=	0.8,
		WeaponSprite	=	Pen,
		MinAngle	=	0.65,
		Type	=	Weapon,
		MinimumSwingTime	=	2,
		KnockBackOnNoDeath	=	FALSE,
		SwingAmountBeforeImpact	=	0.02,
		Categories	=	Improvised,
		ConditionLowerChanceOneIn	=	1,
		Weight	=	0.1,
		SplatNumber	=	1,
		PushBackMod	=	0.3,
		SubCategory	=	Stab,
		AimingMod	=	0.8,
		ConditionMax	=	2,
		MaxHitCount	=	1,
		IsAimedHandWeapon	=	TRUE,
		DoorDamage	=	0,
		SwingAnim	=	Stab,
		DisplayName	=	Blue Pen,
		MinRange	=	0.61,
		SwingTime	=	2,
		KnockdownMod	=	0,
		SplatBloodOnNoDeath	=	FALSE,
		Icon	=	Pen,
		RunAnim	=	Run_Weapon2,
		IdleAnim	=	Idle_Weapon2,
		TreeDamage  =   0,
		EnduranceMod = 0.5,
		ColorRed = 50,
        ColorGreen = 50,
        ColorBlue = 210,
        CriticalChance	=	0,
        MinDamage	=	0.1,
        MaxDamage	=	0.1,
		WeaponLength = 0.15,
		Tags = Write;BluePen,
        BreakSound  =   PenBreak,
        HitFloorSound	= PenHit,
        ImpactSound	=	PenHit,
        DoorHitSound = PenHit,
		HitSound	=	PenHit,
		SwingSound = PenSwing,
	}

See also

• Pencil
• Eraser