Can the range of Lay on Hands be modified with the Distant Spell metamagic?

Question

For a multiclassed paladin/sorcerer, can the range of the paladin's Lay on Hands ability be modified with the sorcerer's Distant Spell metamagic option?

I assume that to do so it would have to be considered a spell or spell-like ability, but I cannot find a solid source on what exactly Lay On Hands is.

I started off a sorcerer as a paladin for flavor and tried to use Distant + Spell Sniper on Lay on Hands to heal somebody from 60 ft. away. DM ruled in my favor, since he is a big fan of the Rule of Cool, but I wanted to know more RAI or RAW.

The answers to What would you roll for "attacking" an enemy with Lay On Hands? make me believe that Lay On Hands is generally considered to be a spell or spell-like ability with a range of touch, so that's a starting point for me.

Answer 1

No

An effect is only a spell if it has a spell description like you might find in the chapter called Spells by Level in the Player's Handbook.

Lay on Hands is simply a class feature that functions in a somewhat similar way as a touch spell. Although, to be honest, it isn't that similar. There are no components for Lay on Hands as an example.

Distant Spell (and every Metamagic option) requires an actual spell (emphasis mine):

When you cast a spell that has a range of touch, you can spend 1 sorcery point to make the range of the spell 30 feet.

Answer 2

As David Coffron's answer states, Lay on Hands is not a spell, but a separate class feature.

• It is listed separately from "Spellcasting" in the Paladin's Class Features (PHB, p. 84).
• In that section it is not described as a "spell" or "cantrip", nor given a level; nor does it use up spell slots (instead drawing from a "pool of healing power").
• It is not listed in the Paladin's spell list (PHB, p. 208-209), nor in the alphabetical spell list (it would be on page 254), nor in any of the Paladin oath bonus spell lists.

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Although it isn't the headline of your question, it is worth noting that even if Lay on Hands were a spell, you could not use it with Spell Sniper. The relevant part of that feat says (PHB, p. 170):

When you cast a spell that requires you to make an attack roll, the spell’s range is doubled.

(Emphasis mine.)

Lay on Hands does not require you to roll a d20; it automatically "hits", and thus is not a spell attack.

Answer 3

This is a great question! I believe the answer is no, but of course rule of fun, D&D is what you make it, blah blah blah.

Here is the PHB, Chapter 10 on "What is a Spell":

A spell is a discrete magical effect, a single shaping of the magical energies that suffuse the multiverse into a specific, limited expression. In casting a spell, a character carefully plucks at the invisible strands of raw magic suffusing the world, pins them in place in a particular pattern, sets them vibrating in a specific way, and then releases them to unleash the desired effect — in most cases, all in the span of seconds.

Spells can be versatile tools, weapons, or protective wards. They can deal damage or undo it, impose or remove conditions, drain life energy away, and restore life to the dead.

Uncounted thousands of spells have been created over the course of the multiverse's history, and many of them are long forgotten. Some might yet lie recorded in crumbling spellbooks hidden in ancient ruins or trapped in the minds of dead gods. Or they might someday be reinvented by a character who has amassed enough power and wisdom to do so.

Well hey, look at that! Spells restore life, so we're good right? Not necessarily. Cure Wounds is certainly a spell that restores life, but that doesn't mean that all abilities that restore life are spells. For example, a healer's kit restores life, but is certainly not a spell. Then again, unlike a healer's kit Lay on Hands is definitely magical: "Your blessed touch can heal wounds," says the PHB.

The real damning text is back in the Chapter 10 definition of spell, which states "Every spell has a level from 0 to 9." Lay on Hands improves as you level up, but there is nothing suggesting that this feature has a "spell level". The chapter continues to explain that spells are associated with spell slots, suggesting that anything that does not require a spell slot to cast is not a spell.

Lay on Hands is not a spell; it is a "Class Feature". It is listed under "Features" for the Paladin class description.