[RPG] Can a Sorcerer multiclass use Metamagic on a Ritual Casting

dnd-5emetamagicmulti-classingrituals

I have a character who multiclassed from a Sorcerer into a Druid. She has the Subtle Spell metamagic, and has prepared the Purify Food and Drink spell via her druid spellcasting feature – this spell has the ritual tag. She is a guest at a feast, but some nefarious individuals are also present there. For a number of reasons* she wants to cast purify food and drink as a ritual, and spend 1 sorcery point to use subtle spell on this casting – can she do this?

To be more general, Can sorcerer-multiclass characters use Metamagic options on ritual castings from other spellcasting classes? I see nothing that would prohibit this**, but I want to make sure.

Relevant excerpts:

Subtle Spell: When you cast a spell, you can spend 1 sorcery point to cast it without any somatic or verbal components.

Druid Ritual Casting: You can cast a druid spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

* Wanting to avoid being poisoned, save her spell slots for a possible fight, and simultaneously not offend the hosts by insinuating that they would allow anyone being poisoned at their feast by noticeably checking.

** Apart from the awkward 10 minute pause before eating, but that can be done before the meal if the exact time of serving is known or controlled.

Best Answer

Yes, Metamagic can be used on ritual spells from any source.

Most metamagic options specify that you can use it "when you cast a spell [...]", and casting a ritual version of a spell still counts as casting the spell.

Certain spells have a special tag: ritual. Such a spell can be cast following the normal rules for spellcasting, or the spell can be cast as a ritual. [...] To cast a spell as a ritual, a spellcaster must have a feature that grants the ability to do so.

Casting a spell as a ritual just removes the use of the spell slot. If Metamagic required a sorcerer to be casting a spell using a spell slot, it would specify so.

Furthermore, the spell you affect with Metamagic can be cast from any source / spellcasting class feature. If metamagic could only influence sorcerer spells, each of the options would instead say "When you cast a sorcerer spell [...]", which does not appear in Metamagic; such wording does appear elsewhere in the class for reference, such as with Spellcasting Focus from the sorcerer's Spellcasting feature:

You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your sorcerer spells.