In short: Helm, He of the Unsleeping Eye, is the Lawful Neutral god of guardians and protection. Priests of Helm, known as Watchers, are less likely to be surprised, gaining a +2 bonus if alone and +1 if with a party. At 7th and 13th levels, the priest gains additional melee attacks. They may make a Glyph of Warding which lasts one day per level. The gain the following spell powers: at 3rd, Sentry of Helm or Wyvern Watch once per day; at 5th, Mace of Odo or Exaltation once per day; at 7th, Seeking Sword once per day; and at 10th, Summon Spectator (a Lawful Neutral Beholder-like creature that acts as a guardian).

Major spheres: All, Astral, Combat, Divination, Guardian, Protection, Sun, Wards.

Minor spheres: Creation, Elemental, Healing, War.

Only clerics of neutral alignment can select Helm in Baldur's Gate II.

Requirements: Strength: 14, Wisdom: 13

Description: The ceremonial vestment of a watcher is a suit of full plate armour and a shield. Watchers receive a suit of full plate armour, an open faced great helm, and a medium shield for free at 1st level. Watchers must wear their full plate armour or no armour at all, except in emergencies or when specially sanctioned by a senior clergy member or high priest. Wearing other armour is not forbidden, but it is sanctioned by sever disapproval in the ranks of the church for minor infringements (violators are assigned boring or unpleasant duties).

Repeated violations are frowned upon by Helm himself, who then imposes a -50% experience point penalty to all activities a watcher undertakes in other armour and refuses to grant new spells to the offending watcher until s/he atones and behaves properly. Therefore, it anything happens to the full plate armour of a watcher, s/he must make every effort to acquire a new set or wear no armour at all, unless in the most dire of circumstances (such as when the lack of armour would result in them failing at their trust) or on a holy mission for their church.

Watchers gain an advantage against being surprised. A watcher gets a +2 bonus on his/her surprise roll. If accompanied by others who are not watchers, this is reduced to +1. This benefit is not cumulative with other advantages to surprise, but it may be affected by penalties. For instance a lone, unarmoured elf trying to sneak up on a watcher, would still cause the watcher to subtract 4 for his/her surprise roll, but this is cumulative with the watcher's +2 bonus.

Watchers may create a short term glyph of warding (as the 3rd-level priest spell) once a day that lasts only one day per level. Watchers may choose the effects of these glyphs from those spells that they would be capable of casting at their current level, regardless of the sphere of the spell involved. This allowed them to create glyphs based on spells not specific to a particular church or group that a priest of their level could cast.

At 3rd level, watchers are able to cast Sentry of Helm (as the first level spell) or Wyvern Watch (as the second-level priest spell) once a day.

At 5th level, watchers are able to cast Mace of Odo or Exaltation (as the 3rd level priest spells) once a day.

At 7th level, watchers are able to cast Seeking Sword (as the 4th level priest spell) once per day. Additionally, they can make three melee attacks every two rounds.

At 10th level, watchers are able to Summon Spectator (as the 5th level priest spell) once a tenday.

At 13th level, watchers can make two melee attacks per round.

About Helm:

Helm (HELM) is the epitome of the guardian, the venerated by those who need to remain watchful for evil at their doorsteps. He was once a much more powerful god, but has fallen upon hard times through two actions.

During the Time of Troubles, Helm was left with his powers and ordered to hold the gates to the Outer Planes against the other powers of the Realms, when the other deities were stripped of their power and confined to the surface of Abeir-Toril. Helm did so all too successfully, and much of the resulting destruction and deific turmoil caused by the many divine deaths of the Godswar is laid at his feet. Helm remained strong in the South, but experienced a further setback when his priests became deeply involved in an invasion of the True World of Maztica. Their unflinching and often brutal actions countered further against the god's reputation. Because of the inflexible and cold reputation those actions gained him, Helm's star is fading at a time when Torm and Gond are attracting new followers.

Helm is difficult to understand and is often viewed as emotionless, heartless, devoted only to his duty or goal at the cost of all mortal consideration. While he is devoted to the point of obsession, he is not heartless, but merely a stern disciplinarian. He is fond of children, and has been known to be most characteristically lenient (for Helm), when dealing with small infractions by them or on their behalf.

In attempting to comprehend Helm's driven nature, many mortal sages have attempted to account for him throwing himself into his work by blaming his behaviour on a broken heart, caused by long-unrequited or spurned love. Others say he lost a great love to tragedy or eternally grieves for a lost relative, such as a brother, sister or child. Still others account for his behaviour more coldly as a burning ambition to become the greatest of deities. Helm has never given credence to any of these theories, as he considers such speculation frivolous use of time that could be spent more honestly at productive work.