Pirengle, you may be forgetting that caster level fluctuates every time you cast a spell. (So Chaos Shield will be of fluctuating help, at times good, at times bad)
With that little nifty... I had sword spiders off of a summon spiders while in C.I. XD
Surges happen 5% of the time regardless of caster level. When casting NRD, your caster level is added to the surge well. It isn't added to the surge roll of a random surge. (If for some reason this isn't the case, then the kit description lies.)
But imagine this. When I was in the Underdark (I had rushed there, so no 7th level spells for me), I used NRD to cast Limited Wish, in the hopes of getting something helpful. Wild surge made the spell cast twice! 2 wishes for the price of one! Of course, that didn't have any effect on the battle where I was, but it is a cool side effect, and one of the better surge effects.
My personal quote for the Wild Mage:
"Unpredictable, as mighty as Elminster one minute, as pitiful as an apprentice the next."
