Want to check my understanding of the rules here, as it seems I might have been playing my wild druid wrong.
Consensus I seem to find on the internet is that potency runes bonus do not apply when in battle form. However, looking at the rules more specifically, polymorph trait says "If you take on a battle form with a polymorph spell, the special statistics can be adjusted only by circumstance bonuses, status bonuses, and penalties." So yes, the item bonus from potency runes don't apply in battle form, BUT only for the special statistics.
So for example looking at Animal Form, the special statistics would be for example the +9 attack modifier which would not be modified by potency runes. However, it does also say "If your unarmed attack bonus is higher, you can use it instead." I've thus been taking my regular unarmed attack bonus which would have included the item bonus from the potency rune and being higher than +9, have been using that. (Prof +2, Level +4, Str +3, Item +1 = +10.)
Have I been reading the rules wrong? Do I not count the item bonus in my unarmed attack bonus (i.e. it is considered the Animal Form's special statistics)?
I'd personally say no, but it's not a bad question. You might want to check out the rules subforum to see if the question has been discussed there at all.
https://paizo.com/community/forums/pathfinder/second/rules