Family Atomics
Nuclear weapons kept by the Great Houses.
In the Dune novels the Great Houses of the Landsraad keep "family atomics" as heirlooms, a hidden cache of weapons of last resort. Possessing them is necessary to secure power, but using atomics against humans breaks the chief prohibition of the Great Convention. Paul Atreides uses atomics to blast a pass through the Shield Wall of Arrakis, and in God Emperor of Dune Leto II says he has gathered up all the family atomics and moved them to a safe place.
Last updated 2026-10-18 from the source article.
Atomics
Atomics are nuclear weapons in the Dune universe, presumably fission or thermonuclear devices, with lingering radiation. The Great Houses of the Landsraad keep family atomics as heirloom caches for last-resort use, a necessary possession for securing power. However, using atomics against humans violates the Great Convention, a universal truce enforced by the Guild, the Great Houses, and the Imperium. The penalty for such use is planetary obliteration. The atomics serve as a deterrent; any House that flagrantly violates the Convention faces massive retaliation. A stone burner is a conventional weapon fueled by atomics, whose use skirts the law but does not warrant retaliation. Stone burners emit J-rays that destroy eye tissue, and if powerful enough, can burn into a planet's core.
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