If a resolving spell or ability instructs a specific creature to connive but that creature has left the battlefield, the creature still connives. If you discard a nonland card this way, you won't put a +1/+1 counter on anything. Abilities that trigger "when [that creature] connives" will trigger.

Once an ability that causes a creature to connive begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it's done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the conniving creature after you discard a nonland card but before it receives a counter.

You can't tap more creatures to convoke Lethal Scheme than it takes to pay for its total cost. This means that normally no more than four creatures can convoke it.

When multiple creatures are instructed to connive simultaneously, they connive one at a time in the order of their controller's choice.

If no card is discarded, most likely because that player's hand is empty and an effect says they can't draw cards, the conniving creature does not receive a +1/+1 counter.

When calculating a spell's total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Convoke applies after the total cost is calculated. Convoke doesn't change a spell's mana cost or mana value.

Because convoke isn't an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.

If a creature you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with convoke will result in the creature being tapped before you pay the spell's costs. You won't be able to tap it again for convoke. Similarly, if you sacrifice a creature to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with convoke, that creature won't be on the battlefield when you pay the spell's costs, so you won't be able to tap it for convoke.

Tapping an untapped creature that's attacking or blocking to convoke a spell won't cause that creature to stop attacking or blocking.

You can tap any untapped creature you control to convoke a spell, even one you haven't controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn.

Tapping a multicolored creature using convoke will pay for or one mana of your choice of any of that creature's colors.