D&D 5E (2014) Thoughts on bonus action potions?

[DrJawaPhD]

And for goodness' sake, realism arguments? About drinking a magical elixir to spontaneously restore yourself? Guys, this is about as inherently un-realistic as it gets. We're already talking about a health mechanic (hit points) which is terribly unrealistic at its core, and magic. Realism isn't even in this zip code.

Not to mention that in terms of all the things that are supposedly doable in 6 seconds of combat, the act of chugging a potion falls soooooo far down the list of unrealistic things the game allows. Chugging a pint of beer in under 3 seconds is totally doable for anyone who learns the technique. It's legitimately realistic as a bonus action for anyone who's been in a fraternity

 

[AlViking]

Not to mention that in terms of all the things that are supposedly doable in 6 seconds of combat, the act of chugging a potion falls soooooo far down the list of unrealistic things the game allows. Chugging a pint of beer in under 3 seconds is totally doable for anyone who learns the technique. It's legitimately realistic as a bonus action for anyone who's been in a fraternity

I don't get too concerned about how long an individual round takes, I view them as shorter at low levels and longer at high. If I cared it would be easy enough to say they're 12 second and anything that has duration of 1 minute lasts for 2 minutes instead, but I don't care enough.

On the other hand you aren't chugging a pint of beer, you're drinking a shot glass that hasn't been completely filled since potions are an ounce not a pint. Unless of course you're trying to drink 16 potions at once which could have interesting results.

 

[James Gasik]

I started using bonus action potions a couple years back. What I've found is, it's still painful for many characters, as the bonus action has become way too overused for features.

I started running Tales of the Valiant recently. They don't have it as a rule, but there's a fairly cheap magic item, a bandolier, that can hold three potions and you can use them as a bonus action. It's a nice way to square the circle between "realism" and game mechanics, because of course magic can let you use potions faster, lol.