That's my question. If its addressed in another thread, can someone link? Having a hard time sorting through all the wild shape threads. Thanks in advance.
You keep all your skills and feats and can use most of them normally. The exceptions are feats tied to manufactured weapons, such as Weapon Focus (longsword) or Furious Focus. Using skills related to talking to people (e.g. Diplomacy) would require you have a way of talking while wild shaped and some GMs might not let you use skills requiring fine motor skills (e.g. Disable Device).
Typically unless you lack the ability to do something (diplomacy when unable to communicate verbally for example) your skills and feats stay 'intact' and available for use. It really depends on the shape you take and what you are attempting, when in doubt the GM should be able to let you know what is possible or not.
Mechanically some things may change with statistics being altered (mostly STR & DEX) as well as size changes (IIRC stealth might be modified).
I guess the second question is "do I acquire any skills/ranks" Ex. I become an air elemental and now have a fly speed. However, if I as a Druid never invested in the fly skill I don't have any ranks in fly as an air elemental?
You don't gain ranks nor feats when you shapeshift.
However, some things can change : for example, when you have a swim speed, you got +8 in the swim skill and can take 10 with swim even in combat (by RAW, the polymorph spell even grant you water breathing for the duration). Same thing with the climb skill.
Flight speed grant a modifier to the Fly skill modifier dependant on your size (the new size) and the maneuvrability of the flight.
Special: (...)
Creatures with a fly speed treat the Fly skill as a class skill. A creature with a natural fly speed receives a bonus (or penalty) on Fly skill checks depending on its maneuverability: Clumsy –8, Poor –4, Average +0, Good +4, Perfect +8. Creatures without a listed maneuverability rating are assumed to have average maneuverability.A creature larger or smaller than Medium takes a size bonus or penalty on Fly checks depending on its size category: Fine +8, Diminutive +6, Tiny +4, Small +2, Large –2, Huge –4, Gargantuan –6, Colossal –8.
And what about racial modifiers to skills?
You don't gain them.
A few rare feats might stop working if your new Str or Dex isn't up to your usual standards (for instance, if you shapeshift into something small and your Str drops below 13, Power Attack and feats that use it as a prerequisite are temporarily unavailable.)
Not true : it works that way for permanent diminution of abilities (for example : Drained STR). Not for temporary maluses or bonuses.
In short unlike 3.5 you are not changing into a new creature. You only gain it's form + whatever else the spell says you get.
You get:
1)the gross physical features of the form. If you turn into a raccoon you still have hands. If you turn into a horse you have hooves and can wear magic horse shoes.
2) What it says you get in the polymorph section of the magic chapter: MOST of the good info is here.
3) The lesser of what the form says you get or what the spell says you get.
If a product doesn't say it grows hair, then it doesn't.
