Race

(Not to be confused with the Race for Mount Doom league product or the concept of a Site Race.)

Race is an Unloaded Keyword printed on most Character cards that denote what species it is--Elf, Orc, Hobbit, Troll, etc. As with all unloaded keywords, a character's race has no inherent bonuses or drawbacks, but a great many cards will target or require a card of a given race to be present.

In some cases, race is often used as a stand-in for Culture: you will more often see "spot an Elf" rather than "spot an Elven companion", and likewise for Dwarf/ Dwarven and Hobbit/ Shire.

Although the Follower card type uses the same Character template layout as Companions, Minions, and Allies, Followers are not actually characters and thus do not sport a Race, even when it looks like the depicted character would have one. (Note however that the Hobbit Draft Game disregards this, and includes Followers with a spottable and interactable Race).

Rules Entries

Followers aren't People

From the Comprehensive Rules:

Follower is a new card type. A follower represents help that joins for a short time and then departs. Followers are not allies, companions, or minions. They are not characters, although they are often named and depicted with images of people from the story. Even though a follower may seem as if it were an Elf or Hobbit or Wizard, it can't be spotted as such because a follower doesn't have a race on its card type line. Followers can't bear other cards, including possessions or conditions.

- follower section

Race is not Game Text

From the Comprehensive Rules:

Card titles, subtitles, and items on the card type line (card types, races, and classes) are not game text.

- game_text section

This means that cards which erase game text, such as Helpless (2U76) , do not remove the card's Race.

Men and Women

From the Comprehensive Rules:

The race of "Man" includes women of the appropriate culture.

A possession that requires a  Rohan Man bearer may be borne by a  Rohan female character who has the race of "Man."

- Man section

No Race

From the Comprehensive Rules:

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 (12U1)
  
    
  
. Gollum doesn’t have a race to be spotted.

Sméagol is not a companion whose race you cannot spot.

When The Nine Walkers (1R79)
  
    
  
 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 (12U1)
  
    
  
 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.

- Gollum/Sméagol section

Uruks are not Orcs

From the Comprehensive Rules:

In The Lord of the Rings TCG, Uruk-hai is a different race from Orc.

- Uruk-hai section

List of Races

• Balrog
• Bird
• Creature
• Crow
• Dragon
• Dwarf
• Eagle
• Elf
• Ent
• Half-troll
• Hobbit
• Maia
• Man
• Nazgul
• Orc
• [Raceless]
• Spider
• Tree
• Troll
• Uruk-hai
• Wizard
• Wraith

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