Yeah, 13000 for (in my case) a +6 to AC is a very nice price. Add another 4000 for a wilding clasp and I still think it's worth it. Would it also increase the damage die while in wildshape, and if so, if I wild shape into a large animal, would I use the medium sized monk damage progression or large?
Umm...your unarmed strikes would use the large monk progression. But it would have no bearing on your natural weapons. You could on a full attack use unarmed as the primary weapon and then add all the natural weapons as secondary natural attacks (-5 to hit, only half str to damage).
It may not be ideal mechanically, but I like the flavor spontaneous healer gives the character..
Consider Touch of Healing reserve feat from C.Champion instead? As long as you keep a level 2 or higher healing spell in reserve (ie, not yet cast), you can heal as a standard action 3 x [highest healing spell level uncast] hp, though it can only bring the target up to half max hp. Still, it's a supernatural ability and has no limit in uses per day.
So right now, I've got the following feats, Companion Spellbound, Augment Summoning, Natural Spell, and Spontaneous healer..
Augment Summoning requires Spell Focus (Conjuration), don't forget.
As for items, I've currently got a Periapt of Wis +2 w/wilding clasp (might bump that to +4, not sure yet), cloak of resist +2 w/wilding clasp and Monk's belt w/wilding clasp, which means I've spent 33K out of 49K, 47K out of 49K if I bump the periapt to +4..
The clasps get expensive, try to bundle together your magic items as much as you can without raising costs. Magic Item Compendium changed the rules for item stacking, you should read it over well. You could pack con and wis bonuses together on one item, and it shouldn't cost extra, for example. Then that's one wilding clasp instead of 2. Con can also be put on a belt, as can strength. It's totally worth it to get wis +4 as early as allowed.
Still haven't decided on a weapon for when he's not wild shaped. I'll probably just grab a mw quarterstaff or something. I don't really have any intention of him being in combat while in humaniod form.
Scimitar is a decent weapon. Quaterstaff is especially nice if you use Shilllelagh (spelling?), Brambles, Entangling Staff (latter ones from Spell Compendium), etc...
Right now I'm thinking his typical combat tactic (if he's immediately face to face with the enemy) will be 1st round, Summon Nature's Ally V to call 1d4+1 Dire wolves which attack, 2nd round cast Anamalistic Power while the Dire wolves continue to attack, 3rd round wild shape or barkskin that will effect druid and dire lion companion (wolves still attacking), and go from there with a combination of spells and attacks, the dire lion companion constantly attacking.
Dire wolves may be a little weak by then, may be better off going for d3 animals from the SNA IV list instead. Myself, I'd go with a Dire Lion or Large Elemental from the V list, or d3 Arrowhawks, Brown Bears, Tigers, or Unicorns from the IV list. As far as the general strategy...summoning is a 1 round casting time, so on round 1 they will not arrive and anyone attacking you in between then and round 2 will mean you need to make a concentration check or lose the spell. Unless you have the breathing room to not get attacked much on round 1, I think it'd be better to open up with a battlefield control spell, like Entangle, and then start summoning. Wildshape doesn't really give enough uses/day until higher levels to use it as a per/encounter buff. It's generally better to try and use its hour/level duration to walk into battle already wildshaped. Both to conserve your uses/day and to say a round of buff time in combat. That's why I said to look into things like Delay Potion, so you could drink an Enlarge Person potion, Wildshape, and then go explore, get into a fight, already be wildshaped and need only a swift action to benefit from the potion. Saves you two rounds of buff time.
Oh, also: At least for low levels, my favorite buff on the first round of combat (well, after wildshaping if I wasn't already) was Produce Flame. And then making a full attack and adding a whole bunch of fire damage to the attacks. Works awesome with pounce and rake.
