“You can expend a spell slot” is different from “when you cast a spell.” I would say no if the metamagic you want to use has the normal wording ("when you cast a spell") that seems to be in most of them.
Expending a spell slot without casting a spell is not casting a spell, to make it plain and obvious.
Expending a spell slot on Divine Smite is just consuming a resource to activate a feature, just like spending Ki on Flurry of Blows. You need to cast an actual spell in order to use Metamagic features.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Metamagic can work with Smite spells, like ,Searing Smite, Thunderous smite and Staggering Smite for example, since you cast a Spell with these that you concentrate on it till your next weapon attack.
Now yes the two only Metamagics that would work with these are Empowered and Heightened.
Can't use Twinned, cause the target of the Smite spells is yourself.
Extended can be used if you want to prolonge the concentration time on the Smite over a minute if for some reason you allready have 10 turns that passed since you casted it, and you're waiting for something, or simply do not want to waste a spell slot between two fights ( you cast the Smite at the end of the fight, the last monster gets killed by another party member, you're all out of the fight, but you know that there will be more coming in more than a minute)
Smite spells are allready Bonus Actions, so quickened is useless.
Subtle can be usefull, if you can't use Verbal component to activate the smite( in a silence zone or gagged or if you want to stay stealthy)
Distant doesn't work for the same reasons as Twinned, the spell targets YOU, so yeah...
ANd i don't know of any Smite spells that delivers an AoE that would target every creatures so Careful is also useless here.
Divine Smite is specifically invalid for counterspell because Counterspell's trigger is a reaction "which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell."
Divine Smite uses a spell slot, but it is technically not spell damage. Can I use metamagic effects on it?
“You can expend a spell slot” is different from “when you cast a spell.” I would say no if the metamagic you want to use has the normal wording ("when you cast a spell") that seems to be in most of them.
Expending a spell slot without casting a spell is not casting a spell, to make it plain and obvious.
WolfOfTheBees has the right of it. Divine smite is magic, but it is not the same as casting a spell. Empowered would not apply to divine smite.
But you could definitely use empowered magic for smite spells.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Expending a spell slot on Divine Smite is just consuming a resource to activate a feature, just like spending Ki on Flurry of Blows. You need to cast an actual spell in order to use Metamagic features.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Yeah, as a DM that is what I would say as well. As a player, I do not like that answer :) Thanks for the response.
While it does not work with Divine Smite.
Metamagic can work with Smite spells, like ,Searing Smite, Thunderous smite and Staggering Smite for example, since you cast a Spell with these that you concentrate on it till your next weapon attack.
Now yes the two only Metamagics that would work with these are Empowered and Heightened.
Can't use Twinned, cause the target of the Smite spells is yourself.
Extended can be used if you want to prolonge the concentration time on the Smite over a minute if for some reason you allready have 10 turns that passed since you casted it, and you're waiting for something, or simply do not want to waste a spell slot between two fights ( you cast the Smite at the end of the fight, the last monster gets killed by another party member, you're all out of the fight, but you know that there will be more coming in more than a minute)
Smite spells are allready Bonus Actions, so quickened is useless.
Subtle can be usefull, if you can't use Verbal component to activate the smite( in a silence zone or gagged or if you want to stay stealthy)
Distant doesn't work for the same reasons as Twinned, the spell targets YOU, so yeah...
ANd i don't know of any Smite spells that delivers an AoE that would target every creatures so Careful is also useless here.
"Normality is but an Illusion, Whats normal to the Spider, is only madness for the Fly"
Kain de Frostberg- Dark Knight - (Vengeance Pal3/ Hexblade 9), Port Mourn
Kain de Draakberg-Dark Knight lvl8-Avergreen(DitA)
As a player, how would you feel if your smite was counterspelled? Smites not being spells also let them work while raging and in antimagic fields.
I'm not so sure about working inside an antimagic field. Divine smite is still magic.
EDIT: From Sage Advice Compendium
"Not all those who wander are lost"
If someone spent a level three slot to counter my level one smite I would consider that a success :)
Divine Smite is specifically invalid for counterspell because Counterspell's trigger is a reaction "which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell."
"Not all those who wander are lost"
So would the lich.