I can't say with 100% certainty on the savage questions, so I'm pulling from memory from old posts.

>I hadn't realized there were different kinds of ambushes. I
>see onslaught is damage focused. Can you explain further about
>savages and ambush bonuses? Do you mean simply that all
>savages get bonus damage when doing an onslaught ambush (when
>not wearing metal)?

Pretty much. If I *recall*, both improved chance to land it and improved damage.

>You can have metal in your inventory without suffering a
>penalty, correct?

Correct.

>What skills key off empty slots (and which empty slots)?

To my understanding, just smear mud and warpaint. From an old Daevryn post, I believe he commented that the larger the armor piece, the more impact it has. Breastplate, arms/legs, helmet making a bigger difference than belt, rings, wristwear, etc.

>Lastly, how hard is it for druids to convert stuff to wood-- I
>mean, are you asking a lot of them or is it a minor favor?

It's a pretty minor favor, so long as you don't need it converted *right now*. As long as there's no time crunch, it's no problem at all.