Backgrounds can be extremely varied from person to person, even those that come from similar backgrounds still have different abilities. For example, two criminals can be wildly different, maybe one is good at intimidating people to repay loans, and the other one is good at lockpicking safes.
To reflect this, you have 3 background points to spend on additional abilities for your character. Some abilities cost 1 point, some cost 2. You may only take each option once.
Varied. You get 1 skill/tool proficiency and 1 language/instrument proficiency
Skilled. You get 2 skill/tool proficiencies.
Linguist. You get 2 languages/instrument proficiencies
Performer. You can make a performance check to receive free lodging and food at inns and taverns.
Watcher’s Eye. You can easily find guard stations or the dens of criminal activity in a community.
Ship’s Passage. You can secure free passage on a sailing ship for yourself and your adventuring companions
Bad Reputation. You can get away with minor criminal offenses due to your reputation, such as not paying for food or breaking down doors at a local shop. This has a limit, and situations may arise where you will get punished.
Researcher. When you attempt to learn or recall a piece of lore, if you do not know the information, you often know where and from whom you can obtain it. Your DM might rule that the knowledge you seek is secreted away in an almost inaccessible place, or that it simply cannot be found.
Scavenger. You can find fresh food and water for up to 5 companions each day, provided the land offers berries, small game, water, etc.
Position of Privilege. Thanks to your noble birth, people are inclined to think the best of you. You are welcome in high society, and people assume you have the right to be wherever you are. The common folk make every effort to accommodate you and avoid your displeasure, and other people of high birth treat you as a member of the same social sphere. You can secure an audience with a local noble if you need to. This has limits, and may not work every time.
Discovery. The quiet seclusion of your extended hermitage gave you access to a unique and powerful discovery. The exact nature of this revelation depends on the nature of your seclusion. It might be a great truth about the cosmos, the deities, the powerful beings of the outer planes, or the forces of nature. It could be a site that no one else has ever seen. You might have uncovered a fact that has long been forgotten, or unearthed some relic of the past that could rewrite history. It might be information that would be damaging to the people who or consigned you to exile, and hence the reason for your return to society.
Work with your DM to determine the details of your discovery and its impact on the campaign.
Heart of Darkness. Those who look into your eyes can see that you have faced unimaginable horror and that you are no stranger to darkness. Though they might fear you, commoners will extend you every courtesy and do their utmost to help you. Unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them, they will even take up arms to fight alongside you, should you find yourself facing an enemy alone.
Rustic Hospitality. Since you come from the ranks of the common folk, you fit in among them with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other commoners, unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them. They will shield you from the law or anyone else searching for you, though they will not risk their lives for you.
False Identity. You have created a second identity that includes documentation, established acquaintances, and disguises that allow you to assume that persona. Additionally, you can forge documents including official papers and personal letters, as long as you have seen an example of the kind of document or the handwriting you are trying to copy.
Criminal Contact. You have a reliable and trustworthy contact who acts as your liaison to a network of other criminals. You know how to get messages to and from your contact, even over great distances; specifically, you know the local messengers, corrupt caravan masters, and seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you.
Historical Knowledge. When you enter a ruin or dungeon, you can correctly ascertain its original purpose and determine its builders, whether those were dwarves, elves, humans, yuan-ti, or some other known race. In addition, you can determine the monetary value of art objects more than a century old.
City Secrets. You know the secret patterns and flow to cities and can find passages through the urban sprawl that others would miss. When you are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow.
Investigator. You are good at getting to the bottom of things, and have an easier time than most getting to the people you need to question. The local law enforcement has their own firm opinions about you, either viewing you as a nuisance or one of their own.
Merchant. You know a good or bad deal when you see one. You can leverage your background as a merchant to get a fair price when you detect that you may be getting ripped off.
Man of Faith. After speaking with someone for 1 minute, you can tell if they worship a higher being, and what the nature of that higher being is.
Vehicle Master. You gain proficiency in a vehicle of your choice.
Feat. You may take a feat. If the feat increases an ability score, you cannot increase it above 20 using this feature.
Ability Score Improvement. You may increase one ability by 2, and another one by 1. You cannot increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.