Well I could tell you where to get 3DStudio Max for free, but I'd be contradicting in my values and it would be illegal...So I won't
Well there are reasons for the stickies up there, but the problem is, from my experience there aren't many freebies that do animate, those that do you will find unlikely to be compatible with DBP, there blender is for you.
As for modelling humans, they all can do it, Blender is probably the best choice if you're not going to be a penny, or blender and a mix with Wings 3D, you'll just need to get your head around the interface is all, its a professional app, it should be great use once you get your head around it, I'm sure you have the time, I mean I have the time to learn 3 different apps and make a small game at once at the moment and I have very little time
and as of today (extra coursework) even less time.