Raceless

Raceless

Raceless cards are a curious matter of a card having no race. All characters usually have a built-in Unloaded Keyword listthated in their type bar that represents their Race, but a handful of cards prove the exception to this rule. Smeagol/Gollum are the most prominent examples, but when Reflections came around both Tom Bombadil and Goldberry shared this abnormality. The reason for Decipher choosing to have "no race" as their race seems a bit strange, especially considering they already had a catch-all race for things you couldn't determine the race of (see Creature), though perhaps this seemed a bit too "icky" or "sinister".

A hint is offered in the Current Rulings Document, where the unique rules on the treatment of such an unrace are outlined (as pertain to Smeagol/Gollum specifically, but by extension also apply to Tom and Goldberry). See the Current Rulings Document, the relevant portion of which is excerpted below:From the Current Rulings Document: Character cards that represent the unique aspects of Gollum or Sméagol have no race. This does not mean that these cards have “a race of no race.” When an effect tells you to count (or choose or spot) a race, Gollum/Sméagol can’t be counted (or chosen or spotted).

A Shadow player must spot a race for Argument Ready to Hand. Gollum doesn't have a race to be spotted.

Sméagol is not a companion whose race you cannot spot.

When The Nine Walkers is in play, Sméagol does not have his cost reduced.

When an effect tells you to do something to minions of other races, that does not work on Gollum/Sméagol.

Argument Ready to Hand can’t discard Gollum, since he is not “of all other minion races” (he is not of any minion race).

When an effect tells you to do something to all minions who do not belong to a particular race, that does work on Gollum/Sméagol.

If an effect says, “Discard all minions not of the Orc race,” then Gollum is discarded.

• [[LOTR09051|Template:cards:LOTR09051.jpg]]

List of Character Cards with no Race

Portrait	Card Name	Culture	Card Type	Game Text
	Sméagol, Old Noser (5C28)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. Regroup: Exert Sméagol (or Gollum) twice to reveal the top 4 cards of your draw deck. Wound a minion for each Shadow card revealed. Place those 4 cards beneath your draw deck in any order.
	Sméagol, Slinker (5R29)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. Skirmish: Add a burden to make Sméagol strength +2 and take no wounds.
	Sméagol, Poor Creature (6C45)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. Skirmish: Discard a card from hand to make Sméagol strength +1.
	Sméagol, Always Helps (7R71)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. Assignment: Assign a minion to Sméagol and add 2 threats to exhaust that minion.
	Sméagol, Hurried Guide (7C72)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. Skirmish: If you have initiative, discard 2 cards from your hand. Sméagol cannot be overwhelmed unless his strength is tripled.
	Sméagol, Slippery Sneak (8R27)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. Skirmish: Add a number of threats equal to the total vitality of the minions Sméagol is skirmishing to discard Sméagol. Regroup: Discard Sméagol to take a minion from your discard pile into hand.
	Sméagol, Bearer of Great Secrets (9R+30)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. Each time the fellowship moves, place an unbound companion in the dead pile. Regroup: If Sméagol is the Ring-bearer, add 2 burdens to discard each minion.
	Sméagol, Scout and Guide (11R51)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. Each time Sméagol wins a skirmish, you may play the fellowship's next site. Skirmish: If Sméagol is at a marsh, exert him to cancel a skirmish involving him.
	Sméagol, Simple Stoor (13U55)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. For each card titled Déagol in your discard pile, Sméagol is strength +2 and resistance –1. Each time Sméagol wins a skirmish, you may take a card from your draw deck and place it in your discard pile.
	Sméagol, Wretched and Hungry (15R49)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. Each Ring-bound companion is resistance +1. Skirmish: Exert 2 Ring-bound Hobbits to make Sméagol strength +1 and prevent him from being overwhelmed unless his strength is tripled.
	Sméagol, Pitiable Guide (19P11)	Gollum	Companion	Ring-bound. To play, add a burden. Each time Sméagol wins a skirmish, you may shuffle up to 2 cards from your discard pile into your draw deck. Skirmish: Exert a Ring-bound companion to make Sméagol strength +2.
	Goldberry, River-daughter (9R+51)	Shire	Ally • Home 2	Each time the fellowship moves to a river, heal Goldberry and Tom Bombadil. Skirmish: If the fellowship is at a river, exert Goldberry to make a companion strength +1.
	Tom Bombadil, The Master (9R+52)	Shire	Ally • Home 2	To play, remove 2 burdens or 2 threats. Skirmish: Spot 2 companions and exert Tom Bombadil X times, where X is the fellowship’s site number, to cancel a skirmish involving a companion.
	Gollum, Nasty Treacherous Creature (5C24)	Gollum	Minion	Regroup: Discard Gollum to exert a companion or ally.
	Gollum, Stinker (5R25)	Gollum	Minion	Gollum is strength +1 for each burden. Each time Gollum wins a skirmish, you may add a burden.
	Gollum, Old Villain (6C40)	Gollum	Minion	Skirmish: Discard a card from hand to make Gollum strength +1 (or +2 if skirmishing a Ring-bound companion).
	Gollum, Plotting Deceiver (7R58)	Gollum	Minion	If you have initiative during the Shadow phase, you may play this minion from your discard pile.
	Gollum, Vile Creature (7C59)	Gollum	Minion	Skirmish: Exert Gollum twice or remove a threat to make him strength +2.
	Gollum, Dark as Darkness (9R+28)	Gollum	Minion	Shadow: Exert Gollum twice to exert the Ring-bearer. Shadow: Remove a burden to add . Skirmish: Remove a burden to add . Regroup: Remove a burden to add . Regroup: Exert Gollum twice to wound the Ring-bearer.
	Gollum, Mad Thing (10R21)	Gollum	Minion	To assign Gollum to a skirmish, the Free Peoples player must make Gollum strength +3 until the regroup phase or add a burden.
	Gollum, Skulker (11R42)	Gollum	Minion	Lurker. (Skirmishes involving lurker minions must be resolved after any others.) Skirmish: Exert Gollum twice to make another minion strength +2.
	Gollum, Her Sneak (13U50)	Gollum	Minion	While a card titled Déagol is removed from the game, Gollum is strength +2 and fierce. Shadow: Remove a card titled Déagol in your discard pile from the game to play this minion from your discard pile.
	Gollum, Hopeless (15R43)	Gollum	Minion	At the start of each skirmish involving Gollum, he is strength +X until the end of that skirmish, where X is the Ring-bearer’s strength.
	Gollum, Threatening Guide (19P10)	Gollum	Minion	Gollum is strength +1 for each threat you can spot. Each time Gollum wins a skirmish, you may add a threat.
	Gollum, Worker of Mischief (0W5)	Gollum	Minion	To play, spot a condition. Menace - When you play Gollum you may make the move limit for this turn –1.
	Gollum, Wretched Creature (0W18)	Gollum	Minion
	Gollum, Small Slimy Creature (31B120)	Gollum	Minion	Each time Gollum wins a skirmish, you may add a doubt. Assignment: If Gollum is not roaming, exert Gollum and assign him to Bilbo to make Gollum strength +1 (or +3 at an underground site) until the regroup phase. ​

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