but the only way they'll work will be for more intrusive behaviours to be added where events pause the game to allow you to use a reaction. Or you need to have something similar to attack of opportunity on the side and maybe you can reorder them, like if shield is placed higher than attack of opportunity, it'll use shield the first time you're attacked etc.
Pause the game. Just do it, Larian. Until Larian stops beating around the bush in trying to take away the dice rolling and pen and paper feeling of tabletop they will continue to run into issues of "this doesn't feel like DnD 5e". Just embrace the fact a large portion of your playerbase wants a tabletop video game experience.
I want that type of "WAIT I WILL USE MY REACTION TO CAST THIS AND ROLL FOR THIS AND....OH IT WORKED!"
and not
*goes into game settings to click a checkmark for reaction*
Class identity could be further helped by having the skill/ability checks become more engaging and player initiated. We don't want just an automated little dongle to appear to tell us if we passed or failed a check we have no idea we're even making for every single ability/skill check outside of dialogue. An option to roll for perception, investigation, intellect, etc. on environment and setting would be much more engaging. Instead of just having everyone walk to an area to see if anyone gets a "successful" roll icon to appear, you could have the appropraite character with the right stats walk into a room and initiate a roll on perception, and then have the narrator tell us either a generic "you don't notice anything in particular" or something like "you see something curious in the corner here".
