Yes, because all warriors are forgers who have nothing better to do than sit AFK at a forge for weeks. . You can bash just fine without being a forger.

Monk is awesome for bashing. I've spied over the shoulder of a friend when he bashed as a monk at level 50, and I felt sick because he killed things so much quicker and so much stronger than what I did at the time. Monk bashing is awesome all the way through. Eventually, Knight tankiness will outperform the monk, but staying monk is a good idea.

As you get higher, you'll also want to look at the skills which will compliment hunting:

- lowmagic's autumn (increased xp gain)
- planar's conglutination (vastly decreases the amount of xp you lose when you die off plane, and, at higher levels, off plane will have far better bashing options)
- resilience (reduces physical damage, lets you regain endurance faster, so you can keep bashing for longer)
- maaaaybe magic, depending on what you are bashing (mitigates damage from magical attacks)

Also, look into getting nice robes or armour, depending on your class.

Best bashing race/combination:

Male Kephera Shofangi with Psychometabolism and Lowmagic.

Harmony blessing, Autumn, Harvest Coven (thanks to Moon Altar).

has something changed lately that someone actually suggested a tae'dae for anything?

Time to get a decent bashing weapon(s): 1-2 days, all you need is 70+/xx/280 or 150/xx/280.
Time to get decent plate and helm: 1-2 days

At max, you're looking at a week of forging to actually get decent bashing things, then you're done.