hey guys, been using k2 for a while but this is my first post...i'm wondering if there is a way to have 5 or so articles on the frontpage side by side, with the introtext (say 15 words) below the image or even over the image itself.

is there a module that can do this, or does k2 have the functionality built into it? thanks.

You can do this with a K2 Content module or the component itself.
If you go with the component you can set the appropriate parameters through the category that will fetch the items you need for the homepage, i.e. 5 primary items, 5 columns, etc.

If you go with the module then you might have to do some modification in order to achieve the result you need since there is no option for the columns.