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"I love the smell of promethium in the morning."

— Captain Shambas, Valhallan 597th
A Promethium mine

A promethium mine on an unknown prison moon.

Promethium is a general, catch-all term used for any form of combustible fuel in the Imperium of Man, including refined hydrocarbons and the various isotopes of hydrogen used as both fuel and reaction mass in Imperial Plasma Generators and starship drives.

The term promethium also refers more specifically to the substance that is the 41st Millennium's equivalent of napalm, a highly volatile incendiary gel derived in part from refined hydrocarbons which immediately ignites on contact with oxygen and is used in Imperial Flamer Weapons to provide a lethal stream of fire.

This form of promethium reaches super-hot temperatures. Similar to napalm, this gel sticks to an individual, continuing to burn on its own accord, even underwater and in the vacuum of space (igniting the substance it is sticking to).

If properly blessed, it can be used as the fuel for Incinerators, and thus is often used by the Imperial Inquisition's Ordo Malleus and Ordo Hereticus to purge their enemies, particularly Daemonhosts and rogue psykers.

It can also be used to create anti-personnel explosives and bombs as it is often readily available to Imperial forces in most war zones.

Many Imperial voidships also carry large reserves of promethium, both to power their systems as well as to trade with local star systems. Refined promethium is valued across the stars, and is the basis for many bartering cultures.

Promethium is also utilised as the Imperial military forces' standard vehicle fuel, used in main battle tanks as well as other armoured vehicles and aircraft. Since promethium can burn in space and underwater, it is extremely useful for boarding actions where the enemy might not expect to see flames in an airless environment.

The term "promethium" is used to describe any petroleum product that fits this description. It is not, however, a substance that always possesses the exact same chemical composition due to variance from different worlds and processing methods.

The variance is so small that one form of promethium usually cannot be distinguished from another, which is why the use of the single term "promethium" is used across the Imperium to refer to a wide variety of actual combustible fuels.

Sources

  • Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, Revised Codex), pg. 62
  • Rogue Trader: Into the Storm (RPG), pg. 137
  • Caves of Ice (Novel) by Sandy Mitchell
  • Necromunda - Book of Peril (Specialty Game), pg. 7
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