I have an Esquire Cavalier who is looking for ways to boost her Leadership Score in order to ensure that her aide-de-camp can keep up in terms of level advancement. One interesting feat I came across was Masked Symbol, as one of its options is a +2 bonus to Leadership Score while in your masked persona.
Most of the other options for this feat are bonuses to various sorts of checks, so they can be turned on and off with no problem. But what happens when a bonus to Leadership Score is temporary in this way? Just by reverting from the masked persona to one's true identity, she suddenly has a cohort above the level that her reduced Leadership Score can support, and (if she had any followers) she would also have more followers than her reduced Leadership Score could support.
And would the answer to this question differ if her cohort or any followers were aware of both of her identities, or if her masked persona is more generally compromised? I was actually considering having the masked persona be the cohort's idea, if that would work. Also, while I could have her stay in masked persona form more or less full time, there are some factors in play here that would make her disguise paper thin and very easy to see through.
I would assume that whoever is part of your leadership with such an ability is intended to be loyal to one of your personas, not both, otherwise that would be a lot of people that know your secret. As such, the bonus wouldn't really go away, but if the other side of your persona ability were to walk up to your aide-de-camp or your other followers, they would ignore you as not their leader.
Without the dual identity class ability, you'd be disguised as someone who they do follow. As a result, I don't see this ability as at all likely to be useful to a cavalier, who very likely does not have an alternate identity, and your usage of that ability wouldn't be RAI. That said, it isn't impossible that you have a character where this makes, sense, but it's just highly unlikely.
i think the masked persona option of the feat (not the one that use the vigilante ability) is more akin to a secret cult (or society) leader (ZERO!!). so the followers and cohort follow the masked leader and the bonus is granted to that masked leader leadership score. while some might know your real persona, the mask is what give you +2 over your normal leadership. it's a cause to follow, a symbol to spark their faith in.
i would say anyone who know your true identity doesn't count your leadership as 2 higher.
as a gm since i also rule that npc are meant to be NON player characters. and cohort and followers ARE npc - says so right in the leadership feat. i'm he one who control them anyway.
if your cohort didn't know about your true identity and find out your true identity later on he very well might leave you (disillusioned). requiring you to find a new one who will follow you.
but if he knew from the very beginning who you really are. he never got the same blinding faith in your cause as the rest of them (he know your true self too well to be fooled by that smiling mask). so he uses your leadership score as is - without the +2.
since the number of followers depend on the score id have them stay ignorant or leave (requiring to gather new ones to fill the ranks). can't have both.