D&D 5E How do you use the Thief subclass features?

[Fanaelialae]

I disagree about the first part of your statement. The action is not being used to activate a magic potion, it's being used to drink the potion, just as you'd drink a vial of water. Actions to activate items are listed in the magic item description - for instance, an wand requires an action to activate the magic. I do not think they mean using an action to pour something out of it - that can be done normally with fast hands I think.

You're free to interpret the rules as you wish, of course, and normally I'd agree with you (it's logical that if you can fast drink an anti toxin you can do likewise with a potion). However, I honestly don't see much ambiguity on DMG pg 141. Under the heading of Activating an Item it says that you can't use Fast Hands to activate magic items. Then under the sub-heading of Consumables it says that "Some items are used up when they are activated. A potion or an elixir must be swallowed...". As I read it, RAW clearly states that drinking a potion constitutes activating a magic item.

 

[redrick]

I disagree about the first part of your statement. The action is not being used to activate a magic potion, it's being used to drink the potion, just as you'd drink a vial of water. Actions to activate items are listed in the magic item description - for instance, an wand requires an action to activate the magic. I do not think they mean using an action to pour something out of it - that can be done normally with fast hands I think.

As for your second point, I think it's a good one. This can be used with caltrops, a Hunting Trap, Manacles, vials of oil or alchemist fire or acid in a 5' area, etc..

In fact I wonder what sort of action it would take to use manacles on a creature that is not incapacitated? Could you grapple a creature and then use fast hands to put manacles on it? If they were knocked down and grappled (therefore their speed is zero) could you do it then?

The DMG goes on to specifically describe potions as being "activated" by drinking them, so the intention does seem to be to limit magical potions to normal actions. That being said, RAW is just RAW!

As for putting manacles on a grappled creature. Hmm. That's kind of "interact with a creature using an object." The only problem I would have with allowing this is that it's not particularly situational. Is your thief's schtick to run in, grapple a dude and then manacle that dude every combat? (My thief's athletics is fairly good, @ehren37, because I want him to be good at climbing and jumping and carrying on.) So I'd probably put this with the restriction that you can only cuff one hand of your opponent, after succeeding on a sufficient DC, of course. (Sleight of hand vs opposed strength? Maybe that's not high enough.) So then you have two options with the other end of the cuff — cuff them to a conveniently available and appropriate object, or cuff them to yourself.

My villains aren't usually standing next to poles and crossbars, and I would say, in most circumstances, being cuffed to a bugbear is worse for the thief than the bugbear, so I'd allow it. Abilities like this should be situational and they should pose a risk to the PC. If the PC wants to properly cuff an NPC, he'll need to have the NPC sufficiently restrained and then use an action to do so.