Sanctuary could be very useful in this game...<br/><br/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Objn0IiL9o<br/><br/>As for losing a spell slot, I consider that little different than material components or XP cost. So yeah, it'd use up that slot permanently.<br/><br/>Phaia; it's fine to let your animal companion hunt... though it may be dangerous. :P Survival checks would be unaffected by your wild shape, I would imagine. Even if you move faster and see more, you might still have to inspect things up close to determine if they are edible.