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RPG Makers
There seem to be more game makers for (mainly console-style) RPGs than for anything else - except FP shooters, possibly.
Enterbrain's first foray into the PC market is nowadays nearly forgotten. Instead of emulating an SNES, this maker has a definite PC feel. It has less features than its successors but is still worth a try.
It may be popular to bash it, but this is still by far the best RPG maker out there. It has a good interface, there are lots of high-quality graphics available for it and the default graphics are actually quite decent, and you can make your first experiences immediately, without having to configure a combat system or create items and monsters first. Still it provides the tools (5000 boolean and integer variables, nested IF confitions) for relatively advanced stuff.
The main drawbacks are the lack of direct access to scripts (no global search and replace), the lack of certain templates (no default treasure chest, for example, you have to script them yourself and assign them a variable manually) and a sometimes surprising inflexibility: If you use the default shops, for example, you cannot have different prices for the same item in different shops. And, of course, its questionable legal status.
An update to the former with some nifty new features, offset by a complicated, unattractive side-view battle system. Stay away from it.
Easier map editing, higher resolution graphics, but partly dumbed-down mechanics.
DOS-based, limited to lo-res VGA graphics, not necessarily easy to use, the Official Hamster Republic Role Playing Game Construction Engine does have a lively community and can be considered an established and tested product.
Another DOS-based maker, more advanced and with more features than O.H.R.RPG.C.E., but dead community-wise.
Instead of employing an RPG maker, it may be an interesting choice to look out for an RPG that can be modded. More and more developers are including editors with their games.
From all RPGs currently or previously on the market, this is the one that can be modified the most. It comes with an editor that gives you just as much power as the developers had. The drawback is that this game, which two years after its release is still fairly state-of-the-art, is rather demanding and complicated to edit. So far, modders have restricted themselves to small add-ons.
Morrowinds predecessor (1996) does not have the benefit of an official editor, but file formats are by now well documented, and there are lots of third-party tools. This game, which is 3D but still uses sprites for NPCs, is on the whole easier to modify.
Diablo modding has a long tradition. There are some mod makers which however give you only limited power. But the very nature of the game (random maps and no real storyline) limits what you can do. But modding this action-centric game can be an interesting exercise in balancing.
In spring 2003 the developers released the original map editor to the fan community. This tool allows for extremely easy map creation once you figure it out. Scripting, however, which is essential for creating something really new, can be tough.
Personally, I found the Neverwinter Nights editor not very easy to use, but there is an existing modding community.
A lot of people are working on RPG makers. Most of them are not finished yet. If any of them will ever surpass RM2k in popularity, only time can tell. The following are all outside links.