Scaled Fist (Monk Archetype)
With dragons being symbols of divinity and power, it would only make sense that some monks would seek to emulate them. Certainly many eastern ascetic monasteries and religious sites use dragon iconography, and pop culture has plenty of dragon-imbued martial artist characters out there.
It’s a bit surprising then, to know it took so long for an archetype like this to get published, but it came eventually. As you might imagine, this archetype, which is usable by both vanilla and unchained monks, grants a variety of dragon-themed abilities as they learn to use their ki to replicate them.
As you could probably imagine, the vast majority of dragons that monastaries revere would be lawful or at least orderly-minded neutral dragons, like the sky, underworld, and sovereign dragons of the imperial dragons. Outside of oriental dragons, planar dragons like paradise, infernal, and crypt dragons, as well as blue, brine, bronze, gold green, silver, solar, vortex, and all manner of other lawful dragons might all be viable candidates for a monastery to revere, if they even focus on one dragon species.
Emulating the raw self-confidence of dragons, they use that for the mental focus for their various mystical abilities.
Additionally, the nature of this ascetic path involves the dragon style, as well as combat techniques involving instilling fear with their demeanor and physical prowess.
Through their techniques, these monks also gain a natural resilience to many things that dragons are immune to (which only compounds if they begin to master dragon style).
Additionally, emulating a specific species of dragon, they learn to channel their ki to imbue their strikes with one specific type of elemental energy for a short while. (Which compounds further if they also have elemental fist)
Later on, these monks learn to channel their ki to unleash a breath based on their draconic element, though it is expensive to perform.
With the additional damage, both from the class features and from style and elemental fist feats, this archetype is set up to do a lot of extra damage with unarmed strikes. Furthermore, their intimidation feats give them a way to debuff and control the battlefield as well. Though situation, their bonuses vs certain conditions is also useful as well. I recommend a high-strength heavy-hitting build with a focus on intimidation as well.
While some may merely be content to emulate dragons conceptually, I can imagine that in some rare places, an actual dragon may be the master of such a monastery or temple, or perhaps a half-dragon or dragon disciple. Furthermore, the exact dragons they venerate can heavily change their philosophy. For example, one devoted to infernal dragons would be very different than its bronze dragon counterpart.
Though their body plans may be strange, the cecaelia of the Bone Reef sport a large population of ascetics devoted to emulating the bronze dragons that also make their home in the region, honoring them for their role in protecting their communities from pirates, poachers, and the occasional sea serpents.
Cut off from the stars by a wing injury, Vorganix the solar dragon founded a school of martial arts to pass the time, and when healed, he decided to stay and continue teaching. Rumor has it his students can use ki in interesting ways, unleashing waves of light and heat.
The Monastery of the Sapphire Tyrant lays hidden in a mountain surrounded by corrupted deserts full of blight oozes and the like. The monks that live there devote themselves to emulating the now-deceased blue dragon that once ruled these lands, citing that it was his presence that kept the region stable for so long. They violently silence those that suggest that the subsequent corruption of the desert was a parting act of spite on the great wyrm’s part.