[Feedback Plox] Range Combat House Rules

[RCanine]

I'm considering the following house rules for ranged combat to make it a bit more balanced risk/reward compared to melee. Would love feedback:

• Puts your guard down: Using a ranged attack when an enemy is within 5 feet of you does not grant disadvantage, instead it provokes an opportunity attack.
• Point-blank shot: Ranged weapons with the ammunition property do not add your ability bonus to damage unless you are within 30 feet of the target.

 

[Horwath]

I'm considering the following house rules for ranged combat to make it a bit more balanced risk/reward compared to melee. Would love feedback:

• Puts your guard down: Using a ranged attack when an enemy is within 5 feet of you does not grant disadvantage, instead it provokes an opportunity attack.
• Point-blank shot: Ranged weapons with the ammunition property do not add your ability bonus to damage unless you are within 30 feet of the target.

I would say that for first point I would make both. attack with disadvantage and suffer AoO.

I would keep ability bonus to damage in any variation. This is addressed by attack penalty to long range.

 

[Xeviat]

Yes to the first, no to the second. The damage of a ranged attack is a measure of it's accuracy, not it's force; it's force falls with distance, but it's accuracy is diminished with Disadvantage.

The first is a nifty maneuver if your group wants more things that provoke opportunity attacks. This edition, though, tends to use things like "provide advantage to opponents attack rolls against you" for things that drop your guard, rather than Opportunity Attacks.