The wail ability of the banshee is:
Wail (Su) Once per minute, a banshee may wail as a full-round action. The wail lasts until the beginning of her next turn. All creatures within 40 feet of the banshee when she begins her wail, as well as all creatures that end their turn within that radius, must make a DC 23 Fortitude save. (This save is only required once per wail.) Creatures under the effects of a fear effect take a –4 penalty on this save. Creatures that make their save are sickened for 1d6 rounds. Those that fail take 140 points of damage (as if affected by a CL 14 wail of the banshee). If a wailing banshee is damaged during a wail, she must make a Will save (DC 15 + damage taken) to maintain the wail; otherwise it ends. This is a sonic death effect. Banshee wails are supernaturally powerful, and penetrate the effect of any spell of 3rd level or lower that creates silence. The save DC is Charisma-based.
The spell Wail of the Banshee is:
School necromancy [death, sonic]; Level sorcerer/wizard 9
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one living creature/level within a 40-ft.-radius spread
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes
When you cast this spell, you emit a terrible, soul-chilling scream that possibly kills creatures that hear it (except for yourself). The spell affects up to one creature per caster level, inflicting 10 points of damage per caster level. Creatures closest to the point of origin are affected first.
The Wail ability specifically refers to the spell, AND the spell only does 1 packet of damage (it only affects multiple creatures if there is damage "left-over" after it kills the closest creature).
So does the creature ability apply full-damage to EACH creature or does it only affect more than 1 creature if there is damage "left-over" like the spell?
Both the spell and the ability deal full damage to every creature affected starting with those closest until the maximum number of affected creatures has been reached. Damage done to one affected creature does not reduce the amount done to the next and so on.
Hmmm. in this thread see second post
There is a buried quote from james Jacobs (i know , he's not a rules authority) that states how he envisions the spell working, so i was basing my questions off of that. I can't seem to find the original thread where his quote was from.
Although he does talk about saving for half damage, while the spell states, fortitude save negates, so now I am not sure.