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My framework for a Warlock, based on this Reddit post and this post from STC. Actual Warlock class upcoming.
Basically, warlocks are freelancers.
Dark Offerings
A warlock has a constant feed of whispers from patrons. Depending on flavor, these patrons may be demons, elementals, fae, outsiders or whatever else you can think of. This feed contains a mix of spam (threats, boasts, obviously scammy jobs), real jobs, and malicious or deceptive jobs.
If you roll behind a screen, you can distribute them as below:
For each message, roll 1d4.
1: Spam
2-3: Actionable offer
4: False or malicious offer
If, like me, you don't have a screen and only roll openly, give the warlock real jobs interspersed with spam. Then, if they complete a job, have them roll a d6. On a 1-2, their patron betrays them. Either the task itself was a trap, or detrimental, or the patron reneges on payment.
I recommend giving new messages often. If you're exploring a dungeon, a new message each hour will set the right pace. If you're not recording time in dungeon play, get on that. If the party is traveling, 1d4 whispers in the course of travel will be about right.
Most of these requests will not be rewarded until the warlock completes a short or long rest. See below.
In addition, a warlock can deliberately call for a favor. This is like pinging every spirit paying attention to the area. The warlock will receive multiple messages at that moment. It's also possible that a spirit directly intervenes of their own accord, and demands a favor from the warlock in return. Refusing this is a bad idea.
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Reward
Assuming your patron decides to pick up their end of the bargain, the rewards can vary. The bread and butter should be MD, which function similar to a wizard's. A warlock may only hold [template] MD at a time, gained after a short or long rest. Bigger requests grant more MD.
Jobs can also be rewarded with magic items, with information, with temporary henchmen/summons or with favors in kind, to be fulfilled on request. Most of these should also be delayed, but offering a greater service in return for instantaneous action is a good trade-off.
Patrons
In addition to taking freelance jobs, a warlock may decide to go corporate. Pledging themselves to a specific, named patron, carries great benefit, but has its own cost. Their patron will screen requests ahead of time, and enforce payment when working for other entities. Additionally, they can appeal directly to their patron instead of dealing with the fickle void.
However, the warlock loses a good deal of choice. They can't take jobs their patron doesn't approve of, and turning down jobs from their patron puts them on thin ice. Doing so repeatedly risks being spurned by their patron, thrown out to the mercy of the void.
When playing the patron, take into account that they're not trying to screw the warlock over. Rather, they have their own agenda, and want to use the warlock the the fullest. If the warlock is unable or unwilling to fulfill that goal, they're not useful. If the warlock has to be sacrificed for the next stage of the plan, they will be. While the relationship of a warlock to a patron can vary greatly, from worship, to slavery to tense collaboration, the patron never sees it that way. The warlock exists to serve, and is disposable.
Examples
Alice is a warlock aligned with the Hells, and hears the constant whisperings of demons. She accepts a task from Geomede, Emmisary of Swords, to deceive a priest she encounters on the road the next hour. She tricks him into taking a dangerous road, convinced that his god will protect him, and he is ripped to shreds by wild animals. Geomede awards Alice with 1MD
Alice receives several messages that night, most of them worthless. "Tell me your true name and all your desires will be manifest!", "Leave your gold in that log and you shall be repaid hundredfold!", "Drink the juice of the black lotus with my name on your lips, and I shall make you a lord of the Hells!" There's also another message, a strangled and quick one which tells her not to trust the Keeper of Doorways. The message is cut off before a demonic name is offered.
Alice later takes on a task from Malijeh, the Betrothed of Flames to sacrifice one target of her choosing to the Flames before the next full moon. She chooses a prominent merchant, and dispatches him in his sleep. For her excellent choice and discretion, Malijeh offers Alice a choice of 2MD or an imp which she may summon once for an hour. Alice chooses the imp.
Some time later, Alice is offered a task by Erebus, King of Death. This is a high-ranking demon lord, and Alice seeks to curry favor. She sets a fire at a crowded feast and flees, while the doors magically lock behind her. The promised reward of a long-lost grimoire is not forthcoming, however. A lesser demon has been impersonating Erebus, and has grown fat of its theft. Alice appeals to Erebus, who launches a hunt for the worm. Erebus owes her nothing, but awards her a prophecy. She will appear in Erebus' court before long, and will enter his servitude.
Returning to the city where she slew the merchant, Alice receives a message from Janumon, Keeper of Doorways. Deciding that the earlier warning was gossip, she take the job, venturing into a ruined home in the thieves' district to recover a bound demon. Instead, she finds herself trapped. The relatives of the merchant appealed to demons for vengeance, and Janumon answered. They appear from invisible doorways and set upon Alice with steel. She slays many with her magic and imp, but a poisoned blade breaches her defenses, and she falls to the ground, paralyzed, as she is butchered.
Alice's soul falls through the earth into the Hells. But before she lands in the boiling tar, she is plucked from the air by Erebus. He offers her a choice; the pit, or eternal servitude to Death, with an opportunity to return to the world above and get her own payback. Alice accepts.
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