A recent D&D Beyond article, Epic House Rules: Potion Toxicity and Quick Drinking, mentioned this houserule:
Variant: Quick Potion Drinking
You can use a bonus action, instead of an action, to drink a potion you’re holding.
I mentioned in a comment:
The only reason I wouldn't use the Quick Potion Drinking rule is if there was a Rogue with the Thief archetype in the party, since it kinda short changes their Fast Hands class feature (the "take the Use an Object action" part).
My reasoning was that a Thief rogue might feel less special if everyone can do something that RAW only they would be able to do. For reference, here's what Fast Hands says (PHB, p. 97):
Starting at 3rd level, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, use your thieves' tools to disarm a trap or open a lock, or take the Use an Object action.
Then another user, JamieMcGuire47, replied to my comment with the following information:
@nathanES RAW, you cannot do this. If a magic item (magic is the keyword here, as it divides regular item interaction from magic item interaction) specifically requires the use of an action to activate its ability, the Use an Object action does not apply to it (including fast hands).
The DMG pg.139 discuses potions:
Potions are consumable magic items. Drinking a potion or administering it to another character requires an action.
The DMG p. 141 discusses activating magic items:
"If an item requires an action to activate, that action isn't a function of the Use an Item action, so a feature such as the rogue's Fast Hands can't be used to activate the item.
This suggests that, RAW, Fast Hands does not allow you to drink, say, a potion of healing as a bonus action. If this is the case, I would have to reassess whether or not I would use that rule (since apparently, it doesn't short change the Thief rogue after all).
JamieMcGuire47's reasoning and evidence looks pretty solid to me, and the only consensus I've found on this site seem to agree (although it doesn't really go into proving that assertion); see: What items can a Thief use as a bonus action with his Fast Hands?
Is JamieMcGuire47 correct? Can a Thief rogue not use Fast Hands to drink a potion for the reasons stated?