Houserule: Opportunity Attacks incurred by ranged attacks and spells.

[Horwath]

Why do you hate ranged attackers?

I do not.

I mostly play ranged characters.

But I realize what damage vs. risk potential they have. So when someone closes to you, you need to suffer until you get some distance again.

 

[neogod22]

/eyeroll

My answer: because ranged combat is not as fun/exciting as getting in there and mixing it up, and because there's not enough downside to using it too many people make it their exclusive combat style.

I'm all for heroes (and bad guys) using archery when it makes sense. But when the two sides close and it's a free-for-all, it's just too...fantastical...for my taste for the archers to run around like Legolas.

Also, way too many rogues use the shoot-hide-shoot-hide strategy. /yawn

Your players will not be too happy if you decide to dictate how they play based off of YOUR preference instead of theirs. If you want to involve more melee combat, then how about use smarter enemies that can close the range or force characters to maneuver. Try using ambushes and combat in closer quarters. Even then, if a player wants to be a ranger attacker, that's what they're going to be.

You attempting to handicap players with the opportunity attack on top of disadvantage is going to do one of 2 things. They will try desperately to get even farther from your monsters knowing that allowing anything to get close will probably kill them, or they will quit. Because why would they want to play in a game that's not fun for them?

 

[Dausuul]

Opportunity attack plus disadvantage just means that no one will ever make ranged attacks in melee unless they are restrained or otherwise prevented from moving. The only penalty for moving away from the monster is that you eat an OA. So you suffer an OA either way, but if you move away from the monster, you can attack without disadvantage.