Ezequiel

magic system that has 4^4 possible spells. each of four slots have four possible values:
purpose:

1. preserve
2. destroy
3. alter
4. create

energy:

1. light
2. life
3. heat
4. force

form:

1. solid
2. fluid
3. gas
4. energy

target:

1. self
2. other
3. area
4. object

2133 would create a cloud of darkness that engulfs an area. 4214 would bring an item to life. 1222 would help an ally stop bleeding

I had a lot of fun messing around with this idea today with a couple of additions:

• to cast a spell with a particular combo, you assign each value to a unique symbols, then combine the strokes from symbols in different categories
• the artistic intent in how a spellcaster combines symbols into a single rune is what helps produce a desired effect. this means 2133 might create a cloud of darkness in the above context specifically because the combined rune looks like a rain cloud covering a house, but a different arrangement might cause someone's shadow to grow, or something else entirely.
• crucially, this means there's no "canonical" 2133 spell. the idea is that spellcasting is augmented by one's imaginative capacity! smart witches improvise.

similar intent is behind the other two runes I tried out, i.e. 4214 is supposed to look like a flower shooting up out of a pot of soil, while 1222 is (more abstractly) either a contained circulatory system or stitches, (which would manifest as scabbing or, uh, stitches, depending on if you cast the spell with spit or, say, stitches).