1. when you use wild shape as a druid do you add the template to the animal youre turning into and use that as your new stats or do you add the new stats to your character in their natural form?
2. while in wild shape or dragon form do you use the creatures attacks and damage or do you use base damage dice for a normal creature its size?
3. when shifted into a creature that can speak like a winter wolf or a dragon and you know those languages can you cast spells while in that form using that language?
4. if you have spells cast on you at the time of changing do you keep all the spells on you like you normally would for so many rounds/hours?
5. when you shift do you keep all armor bonuses from armor worn, or magical gear like amulets, or do you loose the bonuses from those magical or non-magical items while in your new form?
6. can you use other class abilities or feats such as power attack or cleave while in wild shape?
1. You add it to your natural form.
2. You use the base damage for whatever you change into. As an example if you change into a large dragon then you use the base damage for large dragon.
3. You can still speak if the form you change into can speak.
4. You keep the spells
5.If you use wildshape and you have the wild armor enhancement you get to keep the armor enhancement. If you are using a spell then you do not keep the armor bonus.
6.Yes you keep access to those feats.
do you keep magical bonuses from other magical loot if youre shifted?
Unless the new form is humanoid, all gear merges into the form. Constant bonuses (except AC) remain. Activation items can't be activated. Material components are not accessible while merged into the form.
Examples
What works:
Belts of Str, Dex, Con
Headbands of Int, Wis, Cha
Amulets of Natural Armor, Mighty Fists
Eyes of the Eagle, Lenses of Darkness
Boots of Elvenkind, Winterlands
Robe of Eyes, Cloak of Elvenkind
What doesn't work:
Non-Wild armor
Bracers of Armor
Things you can't activate:
Cloak of the Bat (note you'd keep the passive stealth bonus, just be unable to activate the bat form)
Ring of Invisibility
Crown of Blasting
Amulet of Magecraft, the Planes
A stat block example. lol
You want a wildshaped druid, and a non-wildshaped druid as a point of comparison?
I'll give it a shot:
4th level halfling druid
AC 21(hide armor +4, wood shield +2, dex +3, size +1, deflection +1)
Size: small
Movement: 15'
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10
BAB +3
Equipment: Belt of Strength(+2), heavy wooden shield, hide armor, ring of deflection (+1), boots of speed
When changing into a wolf a 4th level druid uses Beast Shape I and that spell says you gain a +2 to strength and natural armor when changing into a medium sized animal(which a wolf is). The druid retains the bonuses for the belt of strength and the ring of deflection while in wild shape form, but cannot activate the boots of speed.
New stats:
AC 16(dex +3, deflection +1, natural armor +2)
Size: medium
Movement: 50'
Str 16, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10
Attacks: Bite +6 (1d6+3)
Other: gains scent