Just wondering if there is an auto-pause function buried somewhere or an .ini edit I can make to enable such a thing... I know I can just press the space bar but being new to NWN and having played games like Kotor 1/2 and Infinity Engine stuff before, I really miss having this feature :( .

Also is there a way to change the formation of my party? It seems weird to me that playing as a Wizard I always have to go first while my tanky warrior henchman follows from behind. I suspect there isn't, so any ideas from seasoned vets on good ways to get my henchmen to draw aggro would be appreciated.

At the moment I just draw the aggro myself and then run back behind my henchman but it just seems a bit silly to me. Especially when I know there is a room full of enemies ahead of me and I always have to be the first in.

I'm enjoying the game so far though, It just feels very different from the other crpgs I've played before.

Can't really help out here.

No auto pause I know of (even through mods).

Some modules have systems for ordering the henchmen around like "go there" or "pull lever" or stuff, so might be a mod enabling that for OC as well. Havent looked around though.

Both of these derive from NWN being designed for multiplayer first, so it's assumed there's a full party of human players and the fighter or thief types go first. Same reason for no pause, it'd just be strange and awkward.

Henchmen were a later development addition to accommodate single-players (and funnily enough, most players just play single-player modules). Hence less thought on party management stuff.

Basically the oddity and awkwardness comes from playing a multiplayer game alone. :)
And that's a big part of why I prefer fighter/rogue multiclasses or druids or someone you can reasonably imagine going solo.