UL = undying light?
Pal 1 , is worth +3 AC even on the cheap, usually more.
You want to keep +5 Cha on Shillelagh, also as your arcane focus.
GFB is perfect for that. Swordburst optional if you're completely surrounded.
Shocking Grasp is your damage + disengage cantrip.
Owl Familiar provides Advantage on most of this, and for
remote delivery of ShGrasp for silly frontliners in over their head(s).
You still want to Eldritch Blast from back at least half the time.
No in-combat healing. Nope nada zero zilch don't do it at all.
Have your Familiar fly over to the death save doofus,
but only on round 2 of that, and Use Object with a healing kit dose.
Pal 2 gets Smite , 2 non-lock slots , and the whole Pally list.
But then Warlock 7 can get you +dX damage , Polymorph , Banish , the Aura ...
From there Pal 6 or 7 , Lock 11 , whichever order , then finangle something.
I think the bigger problem is the (probably accidental) Anti- Short Rest.
There is an easy but maybe iffy home game fix ... talk about it.
Your party gets healing during that time, lessening the HP harshness.
There is a total fix, if a little tricky, get the very first UA Eberron.
Halfling only is Eberron only, take that Hospitality Dragonmark.
Keep Warcaster, but retrain your level 4 feat to that.
You get at character level 5 the level 2 spell Rope Trick, usable by your Lock slots.
Short Rest problem solved ... at some point you'll have to "talk" about it anyway.
ENWorld has a 2 years newer + updated Lock guide by Mellored.
That's the goods (not the old one rescued from the wotc shutdown).