Ah, my head is aching from all that raw information. I find this magic system quite similar to how programming works, since you're saying its how the magic system works in Irregular, but let me simply this before we get to the loopholes. I will substitute your methods to terms we can simplify and read to see how spells work in outside and inside. So magic ranking is judged by Spells via Spell Creation, Spell Foundation, and Spell Execution. Spell Creation is what type of spell is created based on the concept and variables used via Spell Foundation. After completing these two steps, the final step is Spell Execution which is composed of Spell Formation and Spell Activation. Simply stated; the final step is basically casting speed of the spell via formation completion of spell (Spell Formation) and how fast will the formation activate (Spell Activation). Spells are based on either Western Methods or Eastern Methods. Now for the Grimoire, I assume these Grimoires are intermediaries between the Mage and Supernatural (Magic) via Magic Power (mana). As for the Laws of the World (your world system); you stated that the Supernatural is against the Laws of the World and under the Law of Entropy; it shall dissipate due the Laws of the World. Mages use Grimiores as a means to start or end Spells. Mages separately store Magic Power in Grimoires to start Spells via Spell Creation (output), Spell Foundation (construction), and Spell Execution (formation and activation). Mages use their Souls to Auto-Activate (subconscious) with Instant-Cast (by thought) by placing the incomplete Spell (formation without activation) without Spell Activation in their Souls. Souls have limited amount of space to store incomplete Spells. You confused me with the numbers so I will skip that, since I'm just here to clarify how your magic system works on a surface level. As for the Layering, and other magic techniques; sorry, I can't. My mind is tired just from reading it. Please tell me if I got anything wrong for the overall process except for the ranking by grade and magic techniques you stated.
No, it doesn't, Tatsuya's material burst also has to come from his specialize magic that no one else can do and so it could not be he is using two layers, but he has the ability to compute his magic spells many layers of complexity while others can't as he is the only one born with those specialize magic to be able to quickly use decomposition and restoration spells. The flame of heaven can heal those it touches or cure the incurable, but the flame of life can revive those that just died or be used to create life from inanimate objects. 1. No those aren't restriction, but just the base and maximum level of layers of the grade of magicians, sorry if that was confusing because if I am made 1-1000 I thought people won't know when they are in the next Grade. 2. Yes as you will become faster at casting that spell, as your brain get accustomed, but even if they can cast a fireball faster it probably won't matter in the long run against someone who can use spells carved on their souls. 3. You don't use imagination to create the spell, but one of three magic techniques said above, if you use the magic technique of chant and said an elongated fireball nothing would change in the fireball property except it being elongated. If you chanted [Elongated fireball come forth, pierce like an arrow at my enemy] then it would gain the property of an arrow that shoots toward your opponent and a fireball that would explode upon contact. But normally in the current story time you don't have to do the chanting if have a Grimoire to help you form the spell and just need to activate it. Also I put spark there as to mean spark of fire, but I like to keep it a single word. Nope what you said is mostly correct and the layers are just number of lines of command in programming.
Your examples do not illustrate how you envision layers. Seeing that this is how you grade magic, you need to be able to tell us (and reader) how the layers work. For example, you are saying fireball as 1 layer and fire arrow as 1-5. So what are the other 2-4 layers required to transform fireball into fire arrow? Maybe you need to at least give examples of what are the most common “foundation magic spells” and how people normally use them, and what is out of the box way of using them together. Other than that, at the most basic principle on how you grade magic, it was supposed to be about 3 things: 1. The spell 2. How you create the spell 3. The speed at which you create it How do you grade 1 if that can be facilitated via grimoire? When it is about foundation magic spell which only has 1 layer, how would item no.2 above matters? I feel you may have a clear idea but the explanation is not very clear.
Phew~ I thought I read it wrong. Thankfully my comprehensions skills have yet to fail me. So I mostly got it right, huh? Can you specify which numbers I got wrong, since the Souls part was confusing for me. Your Layering and Open Magic Spell remind me of something, but I can't recall though. Maybe I'm wrong, but Layering reminds me of stacking circles above or in circles but there is a limit of how may inner circles can be formed. As for Open Magic Spell, as you stated; it should be the opposite, meaning the circles stack outward from the original circle (formation), but the range, power, and speed is inversely proportional to how Layering works, right?
Yeah I really do have terrible clarity at explaining things, but I can't help it anyway... There are no 2-5 layers to transform a fireball into an arrow... You only need 1 layer to create fireball and two layer to make a fire arrow by Chanting [Fireball come forth, transform into an arrow to pierce my enemy.] Those are all you need to say if you don't have a Grimoire and so those two to five other layers are for other magic that you may want to get more specific for it to do more, but it is not for the examples I listed. The most common foundational spell are fireball, waterball, mudball, or anything to do with a the shape or form of the magic has to be your first layer and what comes after depends on what more do you want it to do? Do you want your waterball to squirt at your enemy? Your mudball to splash muck everywhere? It all depends on what you want it to do after and give it that command as a layer. Also for those last two question the answer is simple... just write your spell in the Grimoire as how you would chant it to create the magic... I thought that was obvious....
Yes layering is like making an onion from its core to its outer shell. Complete Magic Spell are basically spell you can't add any more command as layer into the spell without it just being a waste of mana to do nothing. Open Magic Spell are basically as you said it should look like in some cases, but the range, power, and speed depends on what you put as the command in the layer. As you can cast fire arrow with two different chant, [Fire come forth in the shape of an arrow, pierce at the enemy in front of me] [Fire summon as an arrow, shoot at the enemy in my sight] The first spell is worse then the second one because it will take longer to make, has less power due to it wasting more mana due to it taking longer to create, and has less range because it has a shorter time maintaining its existence before getting erase by the world.
OK. Now, why doesnt anyone streamline those spells? Fire of Life has such a broad use, no wonder its beyond the ranking system. People could do revival fire with at least 200-300 layers less and animation flames also with alot less complexity, why would they make it so inefficient? Are they like java developers who add unecessary lines of code just to get paid better?
Who knows as long as it isn't a master spell they could be doing things all wrong. But complete revival and intelligent life giving isn't something you can do with 200-300 less layers. Reviving the dead with souls like humans and other creature or giving a soul to an inanimate object is what only the flames of life can do and any imitation will only create an abomination soulless lifeform or inanimate object that can move out of instinct. It is literally the flames of the Gods that created life and crafted souls.