No one would ever associate you with a stereotype hero, not by your looks, nor mannerisms, nor apparent values.  There is more than one aspect of your being that makes you likely to be perceived with trepidation, inspiring people to more easily believe the worst of you.  So be it, let's turn that scowl upside down.  And thus through hard work and carefully planned media management you've created an alter-ego for your exploits where that persona hides those unsavory aspects and paints you as a champion of the poor man, the downtrodden, the oppressed and/or meek.  By this alter-ego you become something greater.

Characters with the anti-hero background use a disguise to be someone other-than-themselves and larger than life to inspire others, to hide their involvement in activities and divert suspicion from themselves, often to distract or intimidate when it would help their adventuring.  This Anti-Hero might be swashbuckling, ostentatious, flourishing, villainous or simply entertaining.  One thing however is that this persona is rarely seen as a hero to authorities, but very much so to the commoner.

The Anti-Hero gains an aura of mystique that grants them proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion skills, as well as with a Disguise Kit and one additional language that coincides with a territory they frequent in their Anti-Hero guise.  Additionally, the Anti-Hero can call upon the citizenry of their home city for aid in the form of a place to hide temporarily, information to aid investigative pursuits and even in a more tangible context where if the Anti-Hero is in pursuit, the locals will point him/her in the right direction if they lose sight of their quarry.  Likewise, if the Anti-Hero is trying to evade someone in pursuit of them, especially city guards or henchmen of a villain, the citizens will do everything passive within reason to misdirect them, pointing down the wrong alley, often several pointing down different alleys (including the direction the Anti-Hero actually went) in an attempt to help the Anti-Hero get away.  Witnesses to their actions will most often subtly obfuscate or mis-remember facts of any events they witnessed to make deducing the Anti-Hero's identity or activity as difficult as possible.

Note: This is a variation of the Faceless background.  But where Kal-El created Clark Kent to be a faceless, unassuming version of himself and Superman is just who he is, an anti-Hero creates a persona to garner attention away from their personal identity, Batman's Anti-Hero to Bruce Wayne's persona.

Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Persuasion

Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit

Languages: One of your choice.

Equipment: Disguise Kit, a costume, a pouch containing 10 gp

Suggested Characteristics

An Anti-Hero character usually plays themselves — the adventurer they are every day.  That’s one side of the coin, though, or a part of them expressed to the typify the adventurer.  To define each persona, feel free to choose characteristics from other backgrounds, particularly folk hero, hermit, courtier, or noble typical of other adventurers. For the person behind the mask, the one who truly strives to be a prolific philanthropist, singular swashbuckler or vibrant vigilante, consider a distinct set of heroic characteristics. As a result, those with this background have two sets of characteristics, one for their anti-hero, and one for their everyday adventuring selves.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I’m earnest and uncommonly direct.
2	I strive to have no personality — it’s easier to forget what’s hardly there.
3	I treasure a memento of the person or instance that set me upon my path.
4	I sleep just as much as I need to and on an unusual schedule.
5	I think far ahead, a detachedness often mistaken for daydreaming.
6	I cultivate a single obscure hobby or study and eagerly discuss it at length.
7	I am ever learning how to be among others — when to stay quiet, when to laugh.
8	I behave like an extreme opposite of my persona.

d6	Ideal
1	Justice. Place in society shouldn’t determine one’s access to what is right. (Good)
2	Security. Doing what must be done can’t bring the innocent to harm. (Lawful)
3	Confusion. Deception is a weapon. Strike from where your foes won’t expect. (Chaotic)
4	Infamy. My name will be a malediction, a curse that fulfills my will. (Evil)
5	Incorruptibility. Be a symbol, and leave your flawed being behind. (Any)
6	Anonymity. It’s my deeds that should be remembered, not their instrument. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	I do everything for my family. My first thought is keeping them safe.
2	What I do, I do for the world. The people don’t realize how much they need me.
3	I’ve seen too many in need. I must not fail them as everyone else has.
4	I stand in opposition, lest the wicked go unopposed.
5	I am exceptional. I do this because no one else can, and no one can stop me.
6	I do everything for those who were taken from me.

d6	Flaw
1	I am callous about death. It comes to us all eventually.
2	I never make eye contact or hold it unflinchingly.
3	I have no sense of humor. Laughing is uncomfortable and embarrassing.
4	I overexert myself, sometimes needing to recuperate for a day or more.
5	I think far ahead, a detachedness often mistaken for daydreaming.
6	I see morality entirely in black and white.